Suppression
by Obsessed Pam
Summary: A misunderstanding leads to dire circumstances for the team members of SG1.  Will they be able to extricate themselves from the tangled mess they find themselves in?
1. Chapter 1

_It's taken a while to get here, but with the unending support of my staunchest supporter and beta, Nell, it's here at last. Thanks for everything, Nell. _

_Hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it._

**Suppression**

**Chapter 1**

When thinking about it later - which he did relentlessly - he decided that it must have been the unease in his 2IC's tone which had halted his momentum, preventing him from entering her lab. Until that instant, he'd been playing out in his mind what he should say to explain the course of action he had decided on. And knowing the major's position on the gender issue all too well – and here he found himself grimacing – he knew without a doubt that he was going to meet with resistance. Strong resistance. Hell, that was putting it mildly.

And depending on how he managed to phrase the whole thing could well depend on whether he was made to eat humble pie - inedible humble pie - for a number of missions to come. However, as he braced himself, he knew his decision was the right one, no matter how much he might side with Carter on the actual issue itself. But as her hushed words became audible, Jack felt a paralyzing chill enter his body, freezing him to the bone.

"I just don't know what to do for the best…I know he has these strong feelings for me but…well…I…I…it's no good – I just don't feel the same!"

And as the meaning echoed in his befuddled head, he closed his eyes and, along with them, his heart, railing silently against his own predictability.

He knew his face must reflect the shock he was feeling – he was stunned, barely able to comprehend that what he believed he had concealed so fervently had been glaringly transparent to her. And to add to his ignominy, he'd had to hear of his 2IC's acute embarrassment as she told someone else about her screwed-up situation.

No way in hell could he go in there now! He didn't know with whom she was speaking, whether she was on the phone or actually with someone, but he couldn't face her just at this moment, not the way he…. His eyes hardened. What he'd come to tell her would just have to wait.

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She literally fell through the door she had just struggled to open, cursing silently as her tight-covered knees impacted the conference room's hard floor, then inwardly cringed as she looked up to find four pairs of eyes had swung round to rest on her as she scrambled rather inelegantly to her feet. Brushing down her skirt and straightening her jacket, she was aware that right now her collar felt uncomfortably tight. She could only hope that her hose hadn't got any holes in them; that would be all she needed to feel and look the complete idiot.

Smiling weakly and attempting to regain a level of composure sadly lacking in her all too clumsy entrance, Sam turned, took a deep breath and gently closed the door.

She turned back, slightly surprised that Daniel wasn't attempting to hide his hilarity - there wasn't a hint of amusement - and even more puzzled to see her CO's attention now fixed intently on a pen he was twisting and turning every which way it would go. For one ghastly moment she wondered if her cursing had been heard and felt a blushing color creeping up her neck.

"General, Colonel, I'm sorry I'm late."

Being late in the military, she had learned in the very early days of her career, was breaking the eleventh commandment – not to be recommended, particularly if your CO was Colonel Jack O'Neill. She was still trying to conceal her breathlessness as she moved to her usual place at the table. She cast Jack an apologetic glance, appealing to his dry humor with her next words.

"I don't seem to have got the memo."

General Hammond's reassuring smile and warm eyes helped dissipate some of the coils of tension that had sprung up in her stomach when she received no conspiratorial response, but the feeling of awkwardness was suddenly overwhelming so that she stared fixedly at General Hammond.

"No need for apologies, Major; you weren't meant to attend this meeting."

As if a cold shower of ice particles had hit her like a blast from the wormhole, Sam blinked and wondered if she'd somehow misheard the words. The same as when Lt. Laura Collins had mentioned that there was a meeting going on between the General and SG-1 – and why wasn't she there? Told to her just as she stepped out of the shower, dripping wet!

"Colonel?"

She now turned the full force of her blue, bewildered eyes on him, but there was nothing in his features for her to read. It was as if he were ignoring her, as if she were a nonentity not even worth…She shook her head. She had to be reading this situation all wrong. A small line appeared on her forehead and she could feel the beginnings of a tornado of a headache.

Her eyes narrowed. 'What the hell is going on here?' her silent question blasted him, demanding a response.

His lips curled into a smile but she wasn't fooled by it. Her focus stayed on his eyes which were too dark and revealed…nothing.

"That's right, Carter. You're on down time – some well deserved days to do whatever it is you do with all those doohickeys that keep mounting up in your lab awaiting your in-depth attention and exhaustive studies."

'This has to be a joke!' She could sense something in his voice too, it was almost forced yet there was dullness, as if he could hardly be bothered to...No, it made no sense whatsoever.

Her confused eyes span round to Daniel and Teal'c, desperately hoping her linguist friend would burst out laughing and the tall, calming Jaffa warrior would warm her with his comforting smile, but the concern in Daniel's eyes only made her want to shrivel up and she felt her cheeks flush hotly again.

"I…I don't understand..."

Jack cleared his throat and smiled woodenly. "Nothing to understand, Carter. You'll join us next time. Oh, and close the door on your way out."

It was said in a perfectly friendly, perfectly ordinary tone, but Sam recoiled as if slapped. Slapped hard.

General Hammond had not made two-star general for nothing and he threw Jack a warning look, which conveyed in no uncertain terms his displeasure, before giving Sam a sympathetic smile.

"Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill felt that this operation would be a waste of your expertise which on this occasion would be better served by staying on world. Being a male dominant society, women aren't made welcome and so it was decided that your presence would be more suited to…"

Sam was aware the general was still talking and heard, as from a distance, phrases such as 'sympathetic to your needs', 'accede to the colonel's decision', 'admire your commitment', but as she stared at her own CO with a mixture of confusion and defiance, she knew full well the outcome was exactly what she had feared.

Not taking her eyes off O'Neill, a simple message was transferred in that look and then, with a Herculean effort, she forced every dark emotion from her features. It was easier than she'd imagined, but there again, she'd had lessons from the very best. Even so, she dipped her head, reluctant to meet anyone's eyes as she pushed her chair back, her legs suddenly feeling as if they had trouble supporting her.

"I'll get back to my lab, then…Sirs."

The walk from the room to her lab was done in a daze, the question 'Why' reverberating in her skull until she collapsed at her desk, dropping her aching head into her arms. As humiliation washed over her it was enough to spur her normally well-controlled temper and she was goaded to unreasonable action, so as the turmoil in her head reached a painful crescendo, she lashed out at the objects near her right arm, sending them smashing to the floor.

--------------------------------------

"Colonel – a word, please."

'Crap!'

Jack had not been mistaken when he'd seen the look of censure in the general's pale blue eyes when telling Sam to leave. The head of Stargate Command had not been amused by his 2IC's brash manner and he intended letting said colonel know exactly how he felt when they were alone.

The older man sat awhile, elbows on table with fingers steepled.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on, Colonel?" he asked softly.

Jack raised innocent, brown eyes. They were too innocent.

"General?"

The alarm bells went off the moment General Hammond heard his 2IC's tone and saw the look. An astute man, he had survived four years commanding Jack O'Neill with few ill side-effects if you ignored the lack of hair on his head that is, but his own personal early warning system was blaring out an alarm to proceed with caution.

"Was that an oversight on your part, failing to inform Major Carter that she was off the team for the next mission?" There was a distinct chill to the older man's question.

Jack blinked. "I screwed up, General, I'm sorry."

Hammond's eyes stayed locked on the silver-haired man.

"I think, Colonel, you need to be conveying those sentiments to someone else."

Their eyes met in complete understanding. The order was clear as well as the metaphorical stern slap on his wrist.

'Crap!'

Jack kept his eyes fixed on the general's a moment longer in the hope of a change to the message. There was none.

'Crap!'

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(Chapter 2 to follow)


	2. Chapter 2

**Suppression Chapter 2**

The knocking, though expected, still startled her and her whole body jerked like an out-of-control marionette as she sat at her computer. An insistent voice in her head encouraged her to ignore the interruption; telling her it would go away.

The banging grew louder and more persistent. She hunched over her keyboard, her fingers flying as she typed in information from her latest research, aware that what was appearing on the screen made little sense. The door handle rattled noisily.

"Open the damn door, Carter!"

She closed her eyes wishing she were anywhere but her office, then straightening her shoulders she made her way reluctantly to her door, unlocking it. She didn't open it. It was her own pathetic form of defiance, but still it was something. She was sliding back into the seat at her computer when she heard the door open and close, but kept her eyes riveted to the typed figures before her. She felt her heart hammering painfully inside her chest vying with the tempo going on in her head. Despite it, she still heard the crunch of splintering glass under his feet.

'Damn!' She thought she'd cleared it all up.

"Had an accident, Carter?"

"No…Sir." She still didn't look up, all too aware of the uncomfortable silence that ensued. It went on for a considerable length of time.

Jack's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched tight. "I came to talk, Major, but I can see you're busy." His tone was frigid as he turned on his heel.

"Why?" Her face was pale as she looked up and because she was so afraid, she dared to press where normally she wouldn't. "This isn't a game, Colonel, so what is this all about?"

Already on the defensive, Jack stiffened, not liking the tone his 2IC had adopted. He turned carefully.

"I'm fully aware this isn't a game," he stated with exaggerated patience, deliberately speaking slowly as if to a preschool child. Then straightening, he continued, "I made a decision which I thought was for the best and whether you like it or not, you're going to have to live with it, Major."

Sam strove to keep the hurt from her voice and steeled herself to maintain a neutral mask to her features; she refused to reveal her misery and confusion. "Don't you think I deserved an explanation?"

Jack's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't push it, Carter. I don't have to explain every minor detail to my subordinates."

She flinched feeling as if he'd slapped her a second time that morning, and mortified by his cutting words she dropped her head, hiding the painful color that again suffused her face and neck.

'Minor detail?!...Bastard!'

She could feel the hot bile of frustration rise in her gorge and a burst of anger flamed high at the injustice of this treatment. Utterly bewildered, she shook her head disbelievingly, unable to comprehend how all this had descended into such a farcical waking nightmare. Just what the hell had she done to deserve this?

Throughout her entire career she'd felt the need to justify her position in the Air Force, had worked extra hard so as not to provide anyone with the excuse to sideline her simply because she was a woman, or to put forward the excuse that she had got where she was because of her looks or because she was a senior officer's daughter.

Until she came to the SGC. And at long last, here she was able to accept that no one on her team judged her unfairly. She was accepted for what she was - a brilliant scientist but also an equally excellent front-line officer.

So what, she wondered desperately, had brought about this change in her CO? Had he lost faith in her abilities? Otherwise why drop her from the op? The discordant thunder in her head began to intensify – it needed release. For two cents she'd request a transfer to another SG unit…

Suddenly, alarmingly, Jack was looming over her, his manner openly hostile.

"I'll pretend I never heard that, Carter!" he snapped harshly, dark eyes flat and cold.

Had she actually voiced that request? No, it was impossible! Her temper had gotten the better of her, he must surely know that and she raised imploring eyes to take back her hasty words only to see Jack's inflexible back passing through the doorway.

Finally, finding her voice she called out, "Sir!"

He ignored her, not even hesitating in his stride to glance back.

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He was nursing a strong black coffee in the commissary when Daniel approached his table and took a seat opposite. Having brought no food or drink with him, it was fairly obvious Daniel had come to join Jack for something other than sustenance.

Aware of the other's hesitant manner, Jack's irritation levels soared.

"Whatever it is you've got to say, spit it out, Daniel. I haven't got all day!"

Although known for his mild-mannered ways, in the face of O'Neill's frayed temper, Daniel did not flinch as he took a seat opposite.

"What's going on between you and Sam?"

Jack froze, for a hellish moment wondering if the whole complex had been privy to his 2IC's whispered words in her lab, then raising his eyes he pierced the young linguist with a burning glare. It was a look that worked well on junior officers and enlisted men. It even made the majority of senior officers pause and rethink their positions.

Not Daniel. He simply ignored it and the resulting uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, merely folding his arms defensively.

'Damn.' Jack had hoped he could scare the archaeologist off.

Not so.

"For crying out loud, does anyone around here remember that I'm the colonel and as such I give the orders? This Air Force isn't a democracy Daniel – you'd better get used to it."

Pushing back the glasses which never seemed to sit on his nose correctly, Daniel gave his friend a long, carefully appraising look.

"Why didn't you tell Sam?"

Jack's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing ominously. He'd had this conversation once already and was really not in the mood for a repeat. Yet Daniel's tenacity was implacable.

"Tell her what?" Jack snapped, his scowl menacing.

"Stop being obtuse, Jack. It won't work."

All at once the challenge in the older man's eyes faltered and he dropped his gaze, muttering an obscenity under his breath.

"That won't work either."

Pinned by Daniel's myopic blue eyes, Jack found himself explaining what he hadn't intended explaining. "If you must know," he blustered caustically, "I did go and see Carter."

"And?"

"And she was busy talking to someone." Jack's sarcasm was cuttingly dry.

"So why didn't you just wait and then tell her?"

Raising dark eyes grudgingly, as if daring Daniel to scoff, Jack continued, "She was talking… talking women's stuff…I…I didn't want to hang around. I thought I'd get a chance to tell her later."

Daniel looked askance. "Women's stuff?"

Jack found himself gritting his teeth. He wasn't about to elaborate any further.

"So what's wrong with now?" he pressed.

Jack could feel Daniel's disapproval and disappointment gnawing away at him.

"Damnit--."

"What about now, Jack?" he repeated softly, but oh so persistently.

"You're pushing your luck, Daniel," a wealth of menace in his tone.

"I'll hold your hand if you want me to…"

------------------------------------

"I don't understand." Sam's troubled eyes were filled with confusion as she stared at her CO who had chosen to return to her lab alone. "If you came here to tell me earlier, then what stopped you? I was here all yesterday afternoon?" And just as her brow creased into a frown, her eyes widened in horrified recollection, and as soon as the burning crimson flushed her pale cheeks, it drained away leaving her painfully white.

'Oh God, no! Please tell me you didn't hear what I think you heard!'

Her silent supplication was ignored. If she wasn't mistaken, her CO's features had hardened even further.

She had to be sure though and schooling her features to reveal nothing, asked what she dreaded hearing. "And...and that's the reason I'm being dropped from the operation?"

"No – it's the reason I didn't tell you, I was going --."

It was bad enough to have been overheard telling Janet she was unable to have a relationship with her present boyfriend because she couldn't get her CO out of her thoughts, but to have same CO - and here Sam cringed with shame - throw it all back in her face by not wanting her on the same team when she'd always done everything in her power to be the best professional 2IC a CO could ever wish for…it was simply too much to bear.

"Permission to be dismissed, Sir!" she snapped, her distress shoving her past the boundaries of insubordination. And without waiting for a reply, she pivoted and dashed from the room.

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(Chapter 3 to follow)


	3. Chapter 3

**Suppression Chapter 3**

It was three days later that the wormhole was seen to activate and security stood alert even as General Hammond awaited the return of his premier team. Through the shimmering vortex the three stepped casually out, Daniel and Jack laughing, followed closely by Teal'c, all garlanded with large exotic flora that gave off a slightly musky scent.

Giving his habitual relaxed equivalent of a salute, Jack grinned at his CO, his eyes alight with mischief.

"Welcome back, SG-1."

"And happy are we to be back, General."

Hammond was so used to the wit of his 2IC that he didn't even blink at the unusual riposte. "I take it the mission met your expectations, Colonel?"

Jack grinned, a gleam of light turning his brown eyes tawny. "You could say that, Sir."

"Well, I'll look forward to the debriefing just as soon as you've been through the usual checks and cleaned up."

"Can't wait, General, can't wait." And with a bounce to his step, Jack handed over his weapons to the armory sergeant and followed Daniel and Teal'c to the infirmary.

His lively step faltered only infinitesimally as he entered the medical facility and noticed Janet in conversation with Sam, but keeping a pleasant smile fixed on his face, he walked up to the pair, aware of the 'look' that passed between them as he came to a standstill.

"Carter." He stared her straight in the eye, but she noticed the smile didn't quite reach his eyes before her own gaze flickered away.

"Welcome back, Sir." Her enthusiasm, however was evident and a far cry from their last meeting. "Everything went well?" She couldn't deny her relief that he was back from his mission no matter her own worries.

"Fine my end, Carter, but what's with---?"

Anticipating his question, Sam jumped in, "Just a routine ladies' thing, Sir."

She jumped lightly off the gurney she was perched on and looked at her feet as if a little embarrassed. Jack nodded sympathetically realizing that he'd been dreading the next contact with his 2IC and here it was – proving to be relatively painless. Well, almost…

"Kept out of trouble while we were gone, Carter?"

He'd given his relationship with his 2IC a lot of thought while off-world, scrutinizing his behavior with her and, after a lot of painful deliberation, had come to a decision - his tone was light-hearted, complimenting his schoolboy grin. That's how he intended playing it from now on – light yet at arm's length.

And maybe, just maybe, he would have followed through on the lack of eye contact and the definite hesitation exhibited by his 2IC at his question, if it hadn't been for Daniel yelping in pain from behind a curtained-off bed in the far corner of the room.

"Hey, do you purposely save the longest damned needles for me?" the young linguist painfully demanded of his assigned nurse.

And Jack's attention shifted, much to the intense relief of Sam, who made her excuses and left, but not before shooting Janet a pleading look behind the colonel's back.

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A further two days had passed since SG-1's return and Sam was slowly daring to believe she'd gotten away with it. The tense uncertainty which seemed to pervade the air around her was slowly dissipating and her unsettled movements made way for her calmer grace.

So when Daniel wandered unexpectedly into her lab finding her deeply involved in disseminating some conundrum, she silently congratulated herself on not jumping out of her skin when she happened to look up and found him observing an object that she'd brought back from her last off-world mission.

"Daniel! I didn't realize you were there." She smiled to take the sting out of her words while casually repositioning the artifact that had caught his attention. It really wouldn't do to have him question her on where she'd obtained that particular piece.

Pushing the glasses further up his nose, his blue gaze wandered from the object to fix on Sam's pink face.

"Are you okay?"

Her eyebrows shot up as if she was surprised at the question. "Yes, of course. Why do you ask?" '_Damn – shouldn't have allowed that opening_.'

'Oh, I don't know…maybe the fact that since Jack, Teal'c and I have been back you've been like a skittish colt ready to bolt at any given moment?"

Sam laughed nervously and waved one hand in the air. Realizing what she was doing, she deliberately brought her agitated limb under control and shrugged.

"Are you still angry about Jack's decision to keep you off the team?"

"No!" And getting that Daniel look which could see through to her heart, "Well…hell, yes! And why shouldn't I? There are enough injustices committed against my gender in this world – do I just stand back and accept it on other worlds too?" She was rattled but knew that wasn't the only issue.

"I might not have agreed with him at the time, Sam, but with hindsight Jack was right."

She blinked. She had grown accustomed to Daniel supporting her when it was necessary to stand up to one stubborn Air Force Colonel, so it was unsettling to realize her steadfast ally had suddenly changed sides. Now, more than ever, she felt in need of support and this small show of opposition startled her more than she'd admit, though she tried hard to hide it.

She shrugged as if dismissing him, but just as Daniel had refused to be put off by Jack's negative body language, so now he showed the tenacious side to his character.

"What's going on – is it something to do with your little trip to PX129?" he asked innocently, his blue eyes questioning.

She froze. Then her head shot up, eyes wide with shock as her face paled in dismay.

"You…you know?" she struggled to whisper.

He gave her one of his patented 'don't dare try that on me' looks normally reserved for Jack.

"Does the Colonel know?" She held her breath, dreading the answer.

He stepped back giving her figure careful exaggerated appraisal.

"Your head's still on your shoulders, isn't it?... So what do you think?" And at last, giving vent to his irritation with her, continued, "And just how long do you imagine that is going to last?"

Her relief was palpable but Daniel, possibly angry with her himself, decided to burst that bubble of complacency.

"Just what the hell were you thinking, Sam?"

And then seeing the wounded hurt spring to her tired eyes and realizing this was the last question she needed throwing at her, he reached over and gave her a hug. "And can you tell me how the hell Teal'c and I would ever cope with Jack O'Neill on our own? Did you consider that when you decided to play the heroine of the hour?"

His irreverent humor had the required effect and they strolled to the commissary companionably, Sam giving her friend a rundown of her spur of the moment decision to accompany some scientists and SG-5 when they needed an extra hand, together with the off-world exploits that followed on PX129.

It was only after she'd chosen an orange juice and jello and was following Daniel to a table that she spied Jack and realized that was exactly where they were both heading.

Damn! She shot a look to see if she'd been spotted, wondering if she might simply be able to retrace her steps, but just as she hesitated, Jack looked up and her hope of escape disappeared.

If he'd noted her reluctance, he didn't show it, merely nodding as they took seats opposite him at the table, his face open yet, somehow to Sam, revealing nothing.

He appeared to give her choice of snack careful scrutiny making her pause to check her acquisitions over to ensure there was nothing wrong with them. She swallowed and moistened her suddenly dry lips. It was far too quiet – she felt a desperate urge to fill it.

"Daniel tells me you tried on a number of occasions to speak up for the women on Veran, Sir."

Slowly, dark, solemn eyes met hers for long seconds, but other than a nod of acknowledgement, nothing was said. Feeling the perspiration building beneath her black T-shirt, Sam wished fervently that Daniel would stop munching on the damned sticky jam doughnut and help her out. She couldn't even glare at him as he was sitting next to her, so she adopted the next best tactic.

"Ow!"

She kept her eyes riveted on her food, uncomfortably aware of Daniel's hurt gaze on her.

Jack's puzzled gaze fell on the archaeologist. "You okay?"

"Er…yea, Jack, just a twinge." Daniel reached down and began to massage his abused ankle. "I think I may have pulled a muscle during my workout this morning. Maybe I'll get Janet to check it out."

As if there had been no interruption, Sam continued, "Do you think any notice will be taken of your comments, Colonel?"

Jack didn't look up, saying noncommittally, "Maybe…Time will tell."

"Well, it might …it could …er…be useful if…if…it might be useful if…"

As Sam's sentence dissolved into a stuttering collapse of modal verbs and conditionals, she watched in horrified fascination as a slight, academic looking man appeared to approach their table. Her verbal powers disintegrated as she hastily stood to her feet, pushing back her chair with such force it went screeching back just failing to fall over.

"I…I've just remembered…the lab...I've left…important, really important, I…I mustn't…"

Daniel was staring at her as if she were a headless chicken while Jack simply watched her, never taking his eyes off her as she moved to exit the commissary.

"Dr. Carter!"

Sam increased her pace.

"Dr. Carter. I…I just wanted to--."

'_Just keep going Sam – keep walking_.' The swing doors of the commissary beckoned desperately. '_You're nearly there_.'

"Carter!!"

She faltered. She'd heard that tone before, knew exactly what it meant. And yet, still she considered whether she dare simply keep on walking, pretend...

Too late! The spectacled, slightly hesitant figure of Dr. Olaffson bore down on her, only he wasn't hesitating now.

'_Please God, please don't let this happen_.'

Sam turned to face the academic, her pained eyes on the glaringly white steri-strips over his left eyebrow, yet her remaining senses were acutely attuned to her CO and the vibes she was picking up warned her that her prayers were not about to be answered.

"Dr. Carter, I thought I was going to miss you." She felt her cold hands taken in a warm, friendly hold. "I…I just had to come and thank you. I…I--."

Sam's brittle smile was focused on the ebullient man. "That's alright, Doctor. You don't have to say anything." _'Please. Don't. Say. Anything_!'

Warm eyes glowed with pride. "Nonsense, my dear. I cannot thank you enough. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have --."

She had to stop him!

"It was nothing!" Realizing her tone was too forceful, she swallowed and lowered her voice. "Really. Look, why don't you come to my lab, we can talk there?" She extricated her hands and continued to move ever closer to the swing doors.

"What was nothing?"

The room and everything in it froze and tunnelled in Sam's mind and, until that very moment, she had grasped at the foolish idea that she might actually get away with what she had done.

With a slight shake of her head returning her to reality, she understood now that she had been living in la-la land.

She grimaced as Dr. Olaffson turned to her CO, who had left his seat and was now standing beside the older man, who was himself wearing a look of open incredulity on his pale face.

"Wha-at? You mean to say you are unaware of Dr. Carter's heroism?"

'Just let the ground open up and swallow me now.'

The pained smile which had settled on Sam's face, was beginning to fade as she turned an interesting shade of puce.

"Heroism?" Jack echoed dryly, pinning his 2IC with a particular look which had her quailing inside.

"My goodness, yes, Colonel O'Neill. I doubt very much I would be alive if--."

"No, no! You're exaggerating, Doctor."

Sam could feel an uncomfortable blush travelling up her neck as she tried desperately to prevent what she had been dreading happen.

Just as forcefully, the academic insisted, "I think not, my dear lady." He positively beamed at her, his pride and admiration all too obvious.

"Well, tell you what," Jack broke in, his dark eyes skewering Sam, "Why don't you tell me the whole story, Doctor," and shooting Sam a meaningful look, "without any interruptions, and I'll give you my interpretation of events?"

Sam's eyes closed in mortification. She seemed to shrivel up.

Glancing at his watch, the bespectacled doctor offered an apologetic smile. "I would dearly love to, Colonel but Dr. Fraiser has just now released me from the infirmary and arranged transportation home, it's waiting on the surface as I speak. However, you will, I know, be as proud of Dr. Carter as we are once you are fully cognizant with what took place..." And looking at Sam, he asked, "You will let the Colonel know of your exploits, you won't allow your modesty to cover up your courageous deed?"

"Oh," the Colonel's relaxed drawl did nothing to soothe Sam's nerves, "you've no need to worry on that score."

And turning once again to Sam, his eyes glowing with appreciation, Dr. Olaffson continued, "But I simply had to come and thank you for your bravery, your selflessness," and looking again at Jack, " – she did not have to offer herself as a substitute for my colleagues and me…I won't forget this Dr. Carter."

And then turning on his heel, he exited the commissary believing he had done something decent.

Sam watched him longingly, wishing, just wishing she were walking by his side.

She stood, distressed eyes now locked on Daniel's while feeling Jack's own glare burning into her.

"And I won't forget it either, Major." He stressed her rank as a painful reminder of exactly where she stood in the order of the universe.

Daniel, who had been actively attempting to draw Jack's attention away from Sam and Dr. Olaffson during their ill-timed conversation, stared at Sam bleakly. He just couldn't stand by and watch what he knew would be slaughter.

"Jack, I think--."

"Just what do you think, Daniel?"

Black eyes, hard and unforgiving, raked him mercilessly; Jack knew full well what the archaeologist had been trying to do and wasn't about to let that go either.

Letting out a deep breath, Sam spoke; unwilling to allow Daniel to take the flack for her faults.

"Sir, I--."

"Shut up, Carter!"

She blinked, unprepared for the sudden ferocity which flared in her CO's eyes. Painful crimson rushed to her face and neck as she prepared herself for the onslaught which was to come, grateful that the commissary was empty bar the staff behind the counter, though from what she could see, they were all eyes and ears.

It seemed, however, that Jack was not about to air SG-1's dirty laundry in public, and pushing down on his own volatile emotions, he shot her an unforgiving glare and through gritted teeth snapped, "We're not done, Major."

And after giving Daniel an equally hostile scowl, he span on his heel and was gone.

The air gushed from Daniel's lungs as he started to breathe again. "Wow! Even for Jack, I'd say that was a little extreme."

Watching Sam sink into the seat she had vacated earlier, dropping her head into her hands, Daniel continued, "Just because you--."

Elbows resting on the table, Sam raised and shook her head miserably. "I disobeyed his order," she interrupted bleakly.

Daniel stilled. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

Raking a hand through her short hair, Sam raised desperately sad eyes to Daniel.

She grimaced.

"The Colonel sort of made it clear that I was to stay in my lab while you were all gone."

Daniel looked at her as if the words coming out of her mouth couldn't possibly be the ones he was hearing.

"Wha-at?"

And unable to bear the look of alarm and shock she dropped her gaze.

"I know," she muttered desolately, "I'm in it deep."

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(Chapter 4 to follow)


	4. Chapter 4

**Suppression Chapter 4**

She waited. All morning she waited. All afternoon she waited. She knew the call would eventually come demanding her presence and she existed in a state of barely controlled anxiety – cringing every time the phone went, wincing every time the lab door opened.

At the end of the day, she was making her weary way to the elevators to take her to the surface when Janet intercepted her, using her hand to prevent the automatic doors from closing.

"Caught you!"

"Janet?" Sam was really not in the mood for a friendly chat and hoped her no-nonsense air would encourage the CMO to make whatever she had to say brief.

Brown eyes looked her over carefully. "Daniel told me you weren't feeling so great, so I--."

"Oh, for heaven's sake!"

Unused to a short tempered Sam, Janet's eyes narrowed and she made a more careful appraisal of her friend, taking in the tiredness and the tension.

"Come on, the infirmary," and seeing the look of rebellion, her voice hardened slightly. "Now."

"It's nothing…"

"Now, Sam."

"Is there a problem, Doc?" Sam's eyes closed in abject misery. Could things get any worse?

Janet turned to the colonel who had approached them unseen.

"Not that I know of, Sir. I've just asked Major Carter to accompany me to the infirmary. I'd like to run a few tests."

"What're you waiting for, Carter?" His voice had dropped in tone, a sharpness there that made Janet look back at the Colonel.

Sam kept her head down murmuring, "Yes, Sir," turning away from her hoped for freedom.

-------------------------------

The results were as Janet had expected, but the all too quiet and subdued Sam Carter was so unusual it had all of Janet's medical senses on alert.

"What's going on?" Janet stood, arms folded. She had no intention of moving until she got an answer.

Sitting on the gurney, head bowed, Sam picked at her fingers. "I'm just tired." She smiled wanly.

"And what else?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that – I can see there's something and--."

The sound of approaching footsteps had Sam's eyes darting up to the entrance, her whole body tensing, only to drop her chin hastily as she met her CO's grim expression.

"So, Doc, what's the verdict? Or is it a women's thing?" he demanded pointedly watching the myriad of emotions sweep across Sam's features.

Janet paused. "I'd say Major Carter is a little run down." She noted how the Colonel's eyes narrowed menacingly while Sam seemed to shrink further into herself.

Jack circled the gurney almost like a prowling wild cat.

"Now I wonder how that happened, Doc?" His voice dripped sarcasm, "Especially when the Major here has been spending all of her time working in the lab."

'Oh oh, it's finally happened.' Janet's eyes moved to Sam hoping to make eye contact and offer her some silent sympathy, but she had to admit she was surprised it had taken the colonel this long to find out. Even so, she was taken aback by Sam's attitude now; she looked like a whipped puppy.

"It shouldn't be anything that a few nights of restful sleep won't cure." Janet laid a comforting arm on her friend's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll just get you something for that headache."

Sam's surprised eyes shot up seeing the understanding in Janet's own. "You didn't need to say anything, I could tell," the CMO explained. Then returning with a small container she dropped one capsule into Sam's hand passing a paper cup of water too. As she watched the blonde woman swallow she recapped the container and wrote on the front of it, handing that to Sam. "I'm going to phone topside and arrange for a driver--."

As Sam attempted to object, Jack interrupted.

"No need, Doc. I'll do the honors."

"No!" The churning in Sam's stomach simply magnified itself into a gale force 8, giving her the impetus to jump off the gurney she'd been perched on and to voice her disagreement with the arrangements.

Two pairs of dark eyes, one troubled, the other distinctly unfriendly, swung her way.

"I…I can drive myself, honestly, Janet." And bringing her voice to a more controlled level, she muttered, "No need to take up your time, Colonel, I'm perfectly--."

"Sorry, Sam." The CMO's tone had turned professional while still conveying her sympathy. "That medication isn't conducive to safe driving."

The blonde-haired woman's head sank to her chest, reluctantly accepting defeat, yet still she flinched when Jack's hand clamped onto her shoulder and led her towards the elevators. Her unwillingness must have conveyed itself to her CO who merely tightened his grip in silent answer.

No words were spoken on the drive home and Sam's dejection grew with every passing mile. Her ineffectual attempt to cut him off at her doorway was met with a snort of derision as Jack pushed his way past her and went to stand facing her mantel which was adorned with photographs of her parents, brother and his family. There was even one of herself with blonde braided plaits and braces on her teeth, dressed in dungarees, swinging a baseball bat and looking, at twelve, as if she knew exactly how to use it. She'd never liked that photograph but it had been one of her mother's favorites and in time, Sam had come to understand its appeal.

For an insane moment, Sam hovered at the open door, wondering if she dare make a run for it, but the nauseous feeling of sanity prevailed and, taking a deep breath, she closed the door and followed her CO into the living room.

She crossed her arms defensively, so like Daniel when he knew he was about to get it in the neck thought Jack darkly, and took up a reluctant position as she shifted restlessly from one foot to the other.

"Sir, I--."

Jack's arm sliced through the space between them instantly silencing her.

"Unless you're about to give me a damned good reason as to why you disobeyed my orders, I'd suggest you zip it!" His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it still had the capacity to make Sam wince.

Her blue eyes almost did their own form of communication as they eventually dared to meet and hold Jack's brittle stare.

"Look sir, it was a split second decision. Captain Dryburgh had fallen unexpectedly ill and the unit was short-handed. I stepped in. It was supposed to be a simple milk-run but it turned sour. When the hostage situation suddenly developed I just felt the Rothneans would be more amenable to one hostage – they didn't look all that comfortable with a whole bunch of scientists, and anyway, I knew--."

Jack's eyes spat flames as he cut her off. "I want to know what you were doing on PX129."

Her eyes flickered nervously as she realized Jack was encroaching on her space and the crux of the matter was upon her.

"Sir, SG-8 were--."

Jack's palm came down hard on the wall beside her head making her blink. He smiled but it didn't touch the frost in his eyes.

"Tell me, Carter, when a senior officer gives a junior officer an order, what is said junior officer expected to do?"

His voice was ominously soft and Sam's large eyes widened further.

"Sir, I know I've--."

"Answer the question, Major!"

"With respect, Sir--."

"With respect, Major," he shot back venomously, "I gave you an order **NOT** to work with any other SG unit."

She reached within herself and found the courage to answer him, slanting wary blue eyes upwards, steeling herself against the proximity of the sizzling anger.

"Sir, you denied me permission to transfer, not to second for a one-off mission."

He watched her unmoving, so close he could feel her breath on his neck, her eyes usually so expressive hiding something. She held herself still as his left hand came to rest on the other side of her head, effectively invading her personal space.

She could hear her heart beating a thunderous rhythm and was dreadfully sure that Jack must hear it too, so loud was the sound in her ears. Her every sense was acutely alert to the proximity of Jack's body yet still she willed herself to meet him eye to eye.

"Play semantics with me again, Carter," he whispered softly, his words almost a caress against her cheek, "and you won't know what's hit you until your ass hits the ground."

As fierce burning color rushed into her pale cheeks, she could hold his gaze no longer and felt the breath whoosh out of her lungs as he stepped away from her and moved to the door.

Her sigh was short-lived.

"My office, tomorrow, 0700 hours."

And noticing her surprise, his eyes narrowed beneath dark brows.

"Did you really think you could fool around with my orders and not be held accountable?"

He didn't expect an answer nor did he wait around for one and as his truck pulled away from the curb, Sam hadn't moved, having been left feeling drained and full of dismay.

--------------------------

It was impossible to keep all the rebellion from her face though she hooded her eyes to conceal the glow of resentment as she stood at attention in front of Jack's desk. Silence would have been her best line of defense but she could not, would not follow it.

"Colonel, you're not serious?"

She already knew the answer as Jack's lips moved in a parody of a smile.

"Do I look like I'm joking, Carter?"

Unable to accommodate just what she'd heard, Sam floundered for a moment.

Her astounded voice echoed her CO's earlier words. "I'm to formulate a program which will allow the commissary to evaluate their yearly menu on a day-by-day basis?"

Jack nodded.

"May I ask why?" She failed to hide her disgust.

"You may," he drawled mockingly yet stayed infuriatingly silent.

Sam got the message loud and clear. Her pink lips set in a mutinous line as her chin angled up.

"Couldn't you think of anything more tedious and time consuming?" she asked through clenched teeth, aware yet uncaring that she was teetering on the rocky edge of insubordination.

His dark head tilted a little to one side and a trace of cynical amusement touched a corner of his mouth as he replied, "I tried, Carter. I really tried, but nothing else came to mind." He sounded truly disappointed at his failure, then straightening in his seat his eyes raked her mercilessly. "Dismissed."

As she turned smartly on her heel to escape, his final words tore deeper into her humiliating pain.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot. Consider yourself confined to base until you're through."

She despised the fact that she faltered, but she was appalled by her punishment and had thought it couldn't have gotten any worse.

"You have a problem with that, Carter?" Jack asked sweetly.

She thought about the coming hours and days of mind numbing boredom and closing her eyes in frustration she shook her head mutely, not daring to trust her voice.

Jack's self-satisfied smugness stung her again.

"I didn't think so."

------

Already four days into her purgatory and Jack closed his eyes wondering whether the initial satisfaction he had gained from inflicting the harsh lesson on his 2IC was worth all the aggravation he'd suffered since.

Groaning aloud, he stared at Daniel with barely concealed irritation as he heard yet another convoluted form of reasoning to get him to release Sam from her tedious, grand scale assignment. He had already had a headache before the lecture, now he was into a full scale migraine and his temper was as short as his inclination to listen to one more excuse on Sam's behalf.

He raised his hand, stopping the young archaeologist in full flow.

"Daniel, you know as well as everyone else – you disobey the rules, you get your knuckles rapped; you don't do your homework, you get a detention."

Deliberately ignoring the signals he was getting from Jack, Daniel persevered with his quest.

"It's a pretty stiff detention, Jack."

Jack's caustic tone snapped back, "To use an oft quoted yet appropriate cliché 'if you can't take the heat…' et cetera, et cetera."

"I would have thought you'd have been the last person to complain if Sam stretched a rule."

The older man's eyes flared with sudden anger as he growled Daniel's name – it was a firm warning to go no further with the subject.

In her lab, Sam's own feelings of injustice knew no bounds as she sat in front of her computer entering in figure after figure after mind-numbing figure. And to add to her aggravation was the knowledge that new artifacts brought back from other planets were being passed on to others without her having the opportunity to study them and learn their secrets. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't known what she was missing but Jack had ensured that all objects were to be logged through Sam – as if she didn't have enough to do as it was – though she was given a firm command to look but not touch!

She grimaced at the thought of his strategy. Of all possible punishments, this, for her, was the worst – just like taking a child to Santa's toyshop and expecting the little one to stand still amid all the glorious array of presents. It was cruel, too cruel.

Sitting disconsolately at her computer, Sam had just completed typing in another batch of figures which left her massaging the bridge of her nose in an attempt to ease the tension that had slowly built up over the last hours. Eyes closed, she heard the lab door open, but was so sure it was her CO coming to check up on her that she hoped that if she stayed still he'd simply go away.

"Sam?"

Tired, blue eyes flew open, happiness springing into them as a weary smile touched her lips.

"Dad! I didn't know you were coming."

Her pleasure was evident as she stood and went to hug him. Only as she drew away did she realize her CO was standing behind Jacob.

"I've only got a few hours and I'd been hoping I could tempt you away from your work to have dinner with me."

Sam's eyes dropped, hiding her unease. Dreading Jack would reveal her status she hastened to make some excuse only to have her father hold up his hand, halting her words.

"However, I've been made aware of your more than questionable exploits and the resulting disciplinary action."

Expecting to hear some solicitous words of fatherly affection, Sam's breath caught in her throat at Jacob's next words and she shot Jack a stinging glare of betrayal. 'Damn the man. Does he have to interfere in every aspect of my life?'

"Just what the hell were you playing at?" And before she could offer up any kind of explanation, her father said, "I'm disappointed, Sam. Just because you're a retired general's daughter doesn't mean you can go off and get away with a blatant disregard for orders. Hell, you could have been in terrible danger, maybe worse."

And as Sam's face turned from deathly pale to burning crimson, she found herself fighting back hot tears at the injustice of it all. Biting her lower lip hard to control her emotions, she listened with barely concealed disbelief as her father continued.

"You can be damned sure you would've been facing a harsher penalty than Jack's given you, if I'd been in charge. Think yourself lucky, young lady that you aren't under my command!"

And unable to bite her tongue any longer, she turned her head away and muttered sullenly, "I'm too old for a spanking."

Her words had been meant for none but her own ears yet Jack shot back, "Don't count on it!"

Humiliation spiked through her and she shook her head irritably.

She was still fuming long after they'd departed, barely able to sit still so intense was her need to do something physical, preferably violent and preferably to one particular pain-in-the-ass Air Force colonel. It wasn't enough that he'd come down on her with apocalyptic vengeance for her imaginative interpretation of his orders – something he was infamous for – he'd had to go and snitch to her father!

She shook her head in disbelief, yanking on her dog tags in her frustration. It was so unfair. She was being treated like a wet behind the ears trainee cadet for God's sake. She gritted her teeth and promised herself there would be payback – big time.

------------------------------

(Chapter 5 to follow)


	5. Chapter 5

**SUPPRESSION Chapter 5**

Warning: Language

(Two days later)

The mug of welcome coffee stilled at Sam's lips and her whole demeanor stiffened as Jack took the seat opposite her. He nodded to Teal'c sitting next to her in the commissary, but gave no indication he'd even noticed his 2IC's presence. Gripping her drink tightly, she strove to hide her disquiet.

"This next mission should be interesting, don't you think?"

Sam knew he wasn't addressing her and kept her eyes fixed firmly on the contents of her mug willing herself to appear relaxed – she would not give him the added satisfaction of seeing her distress at being treated _persona non grata_.

'Damn the man, he not only wants to punish me by missing out on this mission, he wants to rub my nose in it too.'

Teal'c paused in consuming his herbal tea. "Indeed, O'Neill, the MALP has given indication that PX147 may be of immeasurable interest."

Jack's eyes crinkled in satisfaction.

'Oh well,' thought Sam trying to see a silver lining in all the gloom of her existence, 'at least if he's happy he won't--.'

"You going to spend all morning in here, Carter?" he snapped. "Don't you have things to do?"

Her head shot up though her eyes closed to any emotion as she pushed her half-drunk coffee away and rose wearily to her feet. She nodded to the large Jaffa, offering him a weak smile then erased it as she muttered, "Sir" to Jack and left the table to return to her lab, the one she'd spent the last nine hours in without a break.

Back in the commissary Teal'c stared long at the person he considered his brother until Jack reacted.

"What?" he snapped irritably.

"You are angry with Major Carter." Teal'c's soft voice still managed to convey a certain disappointment which only served to make Jack go instantly on the defensive as he sat up straighter in his chair.

"Damned right, Teal'c." Jack's eyes met the older man's head on. "You got a problem with that?" he challenged.

The dark-skinned warrior met the other's gaze with a firmness and serenity that Jack had grown accustomed to, but a niggling feeling within him made him search for more.

"I believe your punishment exceeds the failing."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "You do, do you?" The sarcasm was biting but Teal'c remained steadfast in his objective and refused to be swayed in his opinion.

"I do."

The Colonel was beginning to find the Jaffa's calm composure slightly rattling and yet again found his temper was rising.

"And?" he prodded. He waited, knowing there was more to come yet reluctant to hear what he knew he would not wish to hear.

"It is my duty to inform you, O'Neill, that your conduct does not commend you as an officer or as a gentleman."

Locking eyes with Teal'c, Jack's lips thinned and the hard edge of his voice left the Jaffa in no doubt as to his feelings.

He would have liked to have casually answered, 'You've been watching too many movies, T,' but he was much too angry to play the part and instead he went with his feelings as he snapped, "When I want your opinion, Teal'c, I'll be sure to ask for it. Until then, I'll thank you to--."

"Tell me this, O'Neill. If you had been in the place of Major Carter, would you have acted any differently?" And for the Jaffa warrior, the silence was telling. He continued, "Is it not an injustice to be punished for emulating what you yourself would have done had your positions been reversed?"

Jack's chair scraped back as he rose to his feet.

"You've obviously misunderstood the way this Air Force works, Teal'c. Being the superior officer entitles me to certain privileges, one being that Carter does as I say and not as I do!" And turning sharply on his heel, he stalked away, muttering what Teal'c knew well would be a few choice words to mirror his feelings.

As the Jaffa returned to his drink, he hoped that no one would have the misfortune to interrupt the colonel as he stormed through Cheyenne Mountain's subterranean corridors – he had a feeling they would not receive too friendly a reception.

-------------------------------

As she put the final piece of punctuation to her report, Sam realized that there was no inner satisfaction to be gained from having completed the project well under schedule. Mind you, working most nights and days for the past week could have a remarkable effect on the deadline she thought grimly. And it did absolute wonders for the pasty skin look and black shadowed, bloodshot eyes.

She sat back staring into space, wondering how she had gotten to this point.

Long ago, Sam had determined that the reason SG-1 had jelled so perfectly as a team was not simply connected with their own differing fields of expertise complementing each other – although that did play an important part. What sealed the unit was each individual's need to belong and SG-1 was certainly a family in so many ways. The warmth and security was apparent in that each of the four would have died defending the group from an outside attack.

Unfortunately, an attack from within did not produce the same core resistance; links trembled under the strain of constant assault and the structure appeared ready to crumble. Daniel's birthday was to prove the catalyst which was to bring the edifice down.

Instituted by Jack, Daniel's birthday party was an excuse for SG-1 and any others in Cheyenne Mountain, to generally spoil their much doted on archaeologist and it was synonymous with uninhibited fun. For the past two years, it had been held at Jack's place and that special time of year was once again drawing close.

While dreading the event as involving too close a proximity with her CO in a non-military situation – something Sam now dreaded - she was painfully aware that she hadn't as yet been invited. Not that there was anything formal about the occasion but, in the past, Sam knew she would have been allocated a job by now. That first year she'd had to blow up brightly colored balloons to equal the number of birthdays Daniel had missed celebrating; it had equalled a staggering five hundred and sixty-one balloons. And, she recalled wryly, her CO hadn't wanted any old boring helium-filled ones, oh no, nothing but good old fashioned lung air was acceptable. And so Sam had had to call in a number of favors to meet the deadline.

Last year had been a lot easier – making three hundred triple chocolate chip and peanut muffins, but this year…Nothing. Nothing had been mentioned to the point that Sam had wondered whether there was going to even be a party until, that is, she overheard Janet complaining to her head nurse that she couldn't imagine what everyone was going to look like with the theme of knights and ladies of old, and where was she going to find a bouncy castle suitable for adults?!

Her misery complete, Sam made the decision. There was no choice; she had to request a transfer. When a team's dynamics were compromised there was nothing left other than to retrench. It was bitter for her to face her CO, knowing that she was going to have to bring to an end something that was so dear she didn't know how she was going to face the future. The best thing for her was to…

------------------

Her door slammed providing her with a good indication of the mood her visitor was in; and as she looked up she could see that her visitor's face reflected his actions.

"Do you mind telling me just what the hell you think you're doing?"

Slowly, Sam straightened from staring down the microscope to face a distraught Daniel. She smiled weakly trying hard to hide the fact that she had been hoping against hope that a certain colonel would be visiting to try and persuade her to change her mind.

"Hey, you should be happy – you won't have to share your precious Hershey bars off- world anymore."

She knew it was a pathetic thing to say and Daniel told her in no uncertain terms.

"Don't," his blue eyes flashed furiously as he stabbed a rigid finger at her, "don't use your feeble excuses on me, just DON'T! I've had enough bullshit from Jack, don't you dare try it on me."

His desperate unhappiness mirrored Sam's so perfectly that, without thinking, she reached out and took him into her arms trying her best not to cry.

"It's a good career move," she muttered into his shoulder, "you can't ignore that." _'Even if it isn't the reason I'm going,'_

"F-ck your career move!" And as if realizing he'd been too hard on his friend, he asked softly, "And what the hell's so great about Area 51 anyway?"

'_Now why_,' thought Sam plaintively, '_couldn't my CO have said that when I put in my request?_'

Instead, she remembered, he had looked at her with an expression so unfathomable she had wondered whether he'd actually heard her. But then he'd quietly informed her he'd pass on her request to General Hammond and she should know he'd put nothing in the way of it going through. And that was that. He'd dropped his head, returned to his paperwork and she was dismissed by way of being ignored.

Dismissed.

Her soul had felt as if an integral part of it had been ripped from her body. He obviously felt so ill at ease over her feelings for him, no matter that she had kept them hidden, that he was quite prepared to see her go.

Daniel's persistent demand brought her back to the painful present. "Go on, tell me what the hell that place has that the SGC hasn't?"

She grimaced. She didn't want to go into that - ever.

It was a testament to his distress and anger that Daniel has used such strong language, but Sam was to realize that he was far more upset with Jack than with her.

"Tell me, have you and Jack eaten something to addle your brains?" Daniel glared at her then shook his head totally perplexed. "I just can't understand it. Jack just gave me the news as if he were telling me the day's weather for cripes sake. And when I asked him why he'd got his head stuck up his ass, he just—."

Sam's eyes widened in horror as she stepped back; holding him at arm's length.

"Daniel, tell me you didn't!" She looked aghast, frowning severely while Daniel suddenly looked contrite, ducking his head and staring at his shoes. He curled his nose then pushed his glasses up in that habitual way that made him look like a teenager who needed cuddling.

"Um, er, yeah," he muttered hesitantly, "Jack did sort of indicate he could make it a double transfer or words to that effect."

Sam shook her head, clearly disturbed, knowing full well the sort of language the Colonel would have used. It couldn't have been pretty.

She shook her head, desperately sad that her CO and her good friend had entered the fray. This whole situation was disintegrating into something she would have considered impossible just a short time ago, but now…

-----------------------------------------

The head of the SGC had tried to change her mind, tried to persuade her to rethink her position, tried to encourage her to take time off and think it through, but she had been ready and had hardened her heart to all General Hammond's entreaties. So that, finally, all he could do was ask for more time to get a replacement. And though she loathed the idea and wanted as quick an end to this torture as possible, it was something she simply couldn't deny him. There had been no censure in his eyes so how could she refuse this one request, even if it were to prolong her distress?

And having escaped from the general's office, Sam could feel her resolve crumbling at the same time as her legs gave out and she had to use the wall of the corridor for support, grateful as hell that no one was around to see her fall to pieces. She shook her head, eyes closed, trying hard to erase the image of the general's eyes. She had prepared herself to face his anger, but not his disappointment. She'd been ready for his disapproval but not his sadness. It hurt her more than she'd imagined and she squeezed her lids tighter as she felt the harsh prick of burning tears trying to force their way into her eyes.

Those same tears were now fighting their way to her eyes yet again as she faced Daniel, unable to give him what he wanted.

--------------------------------

(Chapter 6 to follow)


	6. Chapter 6

**Suppression Chapter Six**

"That was a great job, Major Carter."

Sam ducked her head modestly, a slight tinge of pink touching her cheeks, making her look...

Jack turned away, apparently absorbed in his perusal of the morning paper that he'd picked up in the commissary to accompany his mid-morning coffee. He had no intention of giving his 2IC – soon to be ex-2IC he amended - any but the minimal of attention. If she addressed him then he'd reply, otherwise, he was keeping his eyes fixed on the small print and now attempted for the fourth time to read the latest sports news.

Unfortunately, the members of SG-5 were not known for being introverted and on seeing Sam enter they had boisterously hailed her with much enthusiasm, calling her to join them while giving her a chorus of approval and praise as she sat down at their table.

Jack's head sank lower onto his shoulders.

"So, who won?"

As his head jerked up, he stared uncomprehendingly at Daniel who had appeared with Teal'c at his table unnoticed.

Eyebrows raised, Daniel waited expectantly.

"Jack"

"Daniel?"

"Did you hear me?"

"I was reading or didn't you notice?"

Daniel didn't fail to note the hint of irritability, but he simply let it wash over him as he often did.

"I can see that. I said 'who won?'".

"Won what?" Jack's annoyance was definitely making an appearance.

Teal'c, who had arrived with Daniel, and taken a seat, decided his intervention was necessary.

"You appear to be deeply involved in your reading, O'Neill."

A profound sigh, followed by brown eyes looking to the ceiling, accompanied the words, "I was."

"Would you care to impart this new found knowledge you have obtained?" demanded Daniel attempting to imitate Teal'c's style of speech.

Jack glared, not in the least amused. "It's the sports section, for crying out loud! When did either of you have any interest in sport?"

Tongue in cheek, Daniel replied, "Since you became so immersed in that paper."

And just as Jack was about to give a withering reply, he sensed someone peering over his shoulder and pointedly paused, turning in his seat just enough to give Colonel Sartes of SG-5 an uninviting glare.

"Colonel?" Jack's tone was as reserved as his body language.

Sartes smiled warmly seemingly oblivious to the negative vibes. "Jack."

Daniel watched as the tall, red-haired leader of SG-5 laid a friendly hand on Jack's shoulder.

The shoulder's owner glared at the hand but it remained where it was.

"I just wanted to thank you for loaning Major Carter to us. Damn but she did one hell of a fine job."

Ensconced in the far corner, her back to them, Sam was oblivious to the conversation being held.

Nodding curtly, Jack's lips tightened. "Glad to help out."

Sartes's green eyes lit up as he continued talking. "Beats me how the hell you can let her go. She was invaluable on P394. I think we'd have still been there if it hadn't been for--."

Pushing back his chair gratingly, Jack slapped the paper down on the table, looking fixedly at his watch. "Sorry to cut you short, Sartes, but I've just remembered I've arranged to meet Siler to go over his latest reports." He didn't dare look at Daniel or Teal'c. "You know how it is?" And without another word he pushed past his colleague and left the commissary at a stride.

Once he had passed through the swing doors, Colonel Sartes grinned conspiratorially at the remainder of SG-1. "So how did I do?"

Daniel's smile was equally wide. "I think we can put you in the running for an Oscar nomination. What do you say, Teal'c?"

"I concur with your assessment, Daniel Jackson."

But as the head of SG-5 leaned in closer his grin faded. "You guys should know, I meant every word I said and if I thought I had a cat in hell's chance that she'd accept, I'd offer Major Carter a place with my team here and now!"

Then flicking a hand in salute, he returned to join his team, leaving the archaeologist and Jaffa to stare at each other in consternation.

--------------------------------

Jack was laying into the punching bag with great enthusiasm when Teal'c entered the gym. However, the Jaffa seemed in no hurry to avail himself of the equipment, merely watching O'Neill in his workout.

Eventually, Jack could bear the scrutiny no longer and lowered his aching, gloved fists until they rested on his lower hips.

"You got something on your mind, Teal'c?" he gasped, drawing in air deeply.

The dark warrior stared fixedly at his friend for a moment longer and then spoke softly.

"It seems SG-5 is making much of Major Carter - perhaps indispensably so."

Lungs still working overtime, Jack remained silent.

"Does it not seem illogical that while SG-1 is willing to forego her abilities, another SG unit is attempting to pursue her?"

The nerve in Jack's right temple began to throb as Teal'c's words reverberated in his head.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He now faced the Jaffa head on as if in challenge.

"It appears that SG-5 have been so impressed with Major Carter that they have requested her assistance on their next off-world excursion."

And when this elicited no response, the dark warrior continued, "It is my understanding that SG-5 has made this request with the sole intention of persuading Major Carter to change to their unit rather than transferring to Area 51."

And as the Jaffa watched the guarded expression close down all show of emotions on Jack's face, he continued, "I am confused, O'Neill."

Jack had no intention of rising to that and kept his head down as if intent on some invisible mark on the floor, but Teal'c needed no incentive to continue.

"This issue between you and--."

Jack's head shot up, emotion now clear. "What issue? What the hell are you talking about? Have I said there's an issue? Has Carter?" he barked.

Teal'c was clearly unimpressed with the volatility expressed by the other man and showed his dissatisfaction with a telling frown.

"If you are not to lose Major Carter you will need to act urgently." And piercing him with a look that could not be misinterpreted he concluded, "I would recommend you do so, O'Neill."

And without further ado, Teal'c stalked away.

------------------------------

"So what are you going to wear?"

Sam raised her weary head, having been staring down a microscope, and stared at her friend, Janet, for a moment wondering what on earth she was talking about, and then enlightenment dawned and she ducked her head.

"Count me out."

"Wha-at?" The CMO looked horrified. "What about Daniel? You've never missed one of his birthdays."

Sam looked askance. "He's only had two."

Not to be outwitted, Janet shot back, "So don't you think you should be there for his third?"

"He'll understand," the blonde-haired scientist mumbled, clearly unhappy with the conversation.

"Like hell he will." Janet would have none of this apathetic attitude and her frustration and worry at the coming loss of her dear friend made her express herself more forcibly than she might normally have done. "Just because you've decided to up and leave us all for God knows what reason, doesn't mean you can go and spoil--."

In desperation, Sam couldn't keep the misery to herself any longer. "He heard me when we were in the lab!"

As Janet continued to look puzzled, Sam continued to make clear to her friend.

"He must have heard me when I was saying I couldn't enjoy a relationship with Steve because of how I felt about him, because the next thing, I'm off the team."

Janet was already shaking her head much to Sam's distress and she exclaimed forcefully, "Janet, when I called him on it he basically told me that was why!" Her eyes conveyed her sorrow all too clearly making the CMO's protective feelings come thundering to the fore.

"Bastard!" Janet had begun to pace up and down she was so angry, making Sam smile wryly.

"Yeah, I've thought of a few well-chosen expletives myself."

"Why, if he dares to set foot in my infirmary…"

Suddenly, a cunning light formed in the doctor's brown eyes and her words died away. She clearly had other things on her mind. "Sam, you _**are**_ going to this party!"

For one mad moment Sam wondered if Janet was going to produce her magic wand and call forth a carriage and footmen, but the insanity quickly passed. There was no way she was going anywhere near Colonel Jack O'Neill.

And seeing the mutinous expression, Janet quickly continued, "Just hear me out."

At the end Sam sat back looking dubious, her expression clearly troubled.

"I…I don't know."

But Janet had the light of battle in her eyes; she was on a mission. "Trust me on this."

--------

(Chpt. 7 to follow)


	7. Chapter 7

**Suppression Chapter Seven**

It took more than a gentle push to get her through the gate, but Janet was nothing if not resilient and knew exactly what to do when Sam started to balk. The large double Scotch she'd handed to her friend before leaving home also helped, that and the fact that the party was in full swing so that Sam didn't feel so vulnerably exposed being there on O'Neill's own territory.

People were relaxing, sprawled out on the lawns or standing in groups with bottles of beer and glasses of wine to hand. There had been various attempts, some more worthy than others, to meet the theme of knights and ladies of old, but Sam's outfit raised a number of complimentary whistles and smiles as she entered and were it not for Teal'c descending on them, it was doubtful that Janet would have got her any further.

"Major Carter," his tone was deeply serious, "I have been consigned to oversee the consumption of apples in water."

Sam's eyebrows rose in uncertainty until Janet whispered 'apple-bobbing' in her ear.

"I am experiencing difficulty in ensuring that the participants refrain from deceiving me. Would you offer your assistance in this enterprise?"

Looking slightly perplexed, Sam could merely nod her head and allow herself to be led round the side of the house to the back yard where Sgt. Siler and one of the administrative staff were clearly using their hands to gain the advantage in locking onto their respective apples.

"Desist!" Teal'c's voice boomed out and hands quickly returned behind backs as faces ducked beneath the surface of two large bowls of water.

Seeing the number of people lining up to take part in this activity was somewhat of a surprise to Sam; she hadn't expected it to be so popular until the large Jaffa explained that Colonel O'Neill had decreed that no one could partake of the food unless they could each produce a well-eaten apple as proof.

Mention of Jack's name did cast a shadow over Sam's face but this was almost immediately erased when Sgt. Siler lost his balance and went head first up to his shoulders in the water. He came up spluttering and shaking his head much as a dog does when it is eager to get rid of any excess water on its body. That was it; Sam erupted into laughter, her eyes brilliant with glee. And it was just at this moment that Jack appeared carrying a large basket of rosy apples to top up the swiftly diminishing pile beside Teal'c.

Still engrossed in watching Siler, Sam was unaware of her CO's presence. As all eyes concentrated on the sopping form, Jack faltered in his stride and though he too observed the dripping sergeant, it was the tall, elegant figure of his ex-2IC that drew him hungrily to take in every detail.

Her body, enclosed in swathes of delicate flowing pale blue silk, fell from shoulders to ankles, and seemed to shimmer like a pure flowing mountain stream, while her headdress framed her face accentuating her deeper blue eyes, hiding much of her blonde hair as it peaked high with further folds of silk dripping from its tip to fall around her shoulders.

She was radiant; he could admit nothing else to his inner mind, while memories of a long-ago trip to Simarka when his 2IC had been required to dress according to the ways of the Shavadai returned to disturb further his equilibrium.

Upon realizing that he was standing gawking like a hormone-riddled teenager he took a deep breath, closed his mouth and put on a twisted smile before anyone noticed.

"Did anyone hear me say anything about taking a bath?" he demanded dryly, his gaze fixed on Siler.

From the corner of his eye he saw her stiffen and felt his own mouth tighten with tension. But feeling Teal'c's firm regard, he understood that conventions had to be followed, no matter what.

"Carter." He gave a brief nod that could only be considered abrupt then saw Teal'c's own eyes narrow warningly.

'_Crap_.' "Nice outfit you've got there."

"Thank you, Sir." Her smile was tentative, unsure even as color swept up her neck and face and she couldn't help but feel relief when he handed Teal'c the basket, and span on his heel giving a sharp reminder to those in line to get a move on if they wanted feeding.

--------------------

Stomachs eventually replete and various games enjoyed, some guests were happy to continue lazing on the grass and chill out, while others still had the energy for more activity.

Inside, furniture was moved back and an impromptu dance floor was revealed as Janet took on the role of DJ, skimming through the mass of CDs that people had brought along with them just for this occasion.

Daniel, being the guest of honor, was now fast asleep on one of the sofas, a child's party hat half covering his face as he snored contentedly away.

"Doesn't he look adorable?"

Sam turned to look in the direction of Janet's gaze and smiled tenderly.

"He sure does; he's the sweetest thing since apple pie."

"So why are you leaving?"

Sam's eyes rolled as she turned to fix a glare on her friend.

"You know my situation," she muttered hotly. "What would you do differently, for heaven's sake?"

"I've told you what to do," Janet replied pointedly.

Sam's eyes whipped round to stare aghast at her friend. "I…I can't."

"Yes, you can and this is where it starts, honey."

Ignoring her imploring eyes, Janet fixed her friend with a stern look.

"Don't let me down, Sam."

-------------------------------

As the chill of the evening set in, quite a number of people had moved indoors and were relaxing on sofas, chairs and cushions listening to the music. A few were dancing and as word had got out that Sam was leaving the SGC she was inundated with more than the usual amount of requests for a dance.

Her nerves had at last calmed as much from the activity she was engaged in as from the fact Jack seemed to be involved elsewhere with his guests, but as more and more people came to the large living area, Sam knew it was only a matter of time.

And when the music did change spectacularly, Sam knew without looking that he was there. Raising her eyes to the heavens, she gave a quiet prayer of thanks that Teal'c was her partner as she began her grand performance. Hips twisting, gyrating and rotating, she moved to the erotic Latino beat, swaying her body alluringly and attracting the attention of everyone. Eyes blinkered on Teal'c she lost herself in the hot rhythm of the music, refusing to allow her brain to imagine what one silver-haired colonel must be thinking right now...

_'What the hell_!'

It took an effort to snap his jaw closed, but as his eyes once more fixed on his ex-2IC, Jack couldn't fail to be mesmerized by her sensual movements. Gone were the long flowing garments, replaced by a short white skirt revealing oh so much long, tanned leg but as she whirled and raised her arms, it was to her flat, bare midriff that his eyes were riveted.

"Is that a belly button ring, for crying out loud?"

He only realized he'd spoken aloud when a voice in his ear uttered, "Damn, but she's good."

Glancing briefly at Janet, his eyes unerringly returned swiftly to the dancer as she continued to circle her large partner, exuding a sexuality that Jack had imagined on many a long night when he had been unable to sleep but never before seen so unequivocally in the blonde, blue-eyed woman.

And as the final beat played out and applause and whistles rang out, Janet exclaimed, "Well the title of that song was pretty accurate."

Attempting to bring his whirling senses under some form of control, all he could mutter was, "Huh?" as he downed the remainder of his drink wishing he could will the effects of an ice-cold shower on a particular part of his anatomy.

"_My Hips Don't Lie_. And hers surely don't." And watching as Sam dragged oxygen into her lungs while wiping a trickle of perspiration from her forehead, she continued,

"Look at those boys; they're practically lining up to dance with her."

And wishing to twist the metaphorical knife a little deeper, she said innocently, "You'd better put your request in now, it looks like she's going to be taken for the whole evening and from what I can see, Colonel Sartes has got a proprietary eye on our Sam."

Muttering something unintelligible under his breath, Jack moved towards Daniel in order to save him from the artistic exploits of two slightly inebriated nurses who appeared to be using their lip pens to practice their sketching on him. Seeing a scowling colonel bearing down on them, the two young women giggled hysterically and made their escape leaving Jack to stare down at his sleeping archaeologist who was none the wiser for having had scarlet and bright pink petals drawn around his navel.

Shaking his head wryly, he was about to wake the sleeping beauty when Teal'c appeared at his side. Jack decided he was definitely sporting a superior smirk.

"Was it not a most accomplished performance, O'Neill?"

"Brilliant, T. Been having lessons?"

The Jaffa's cool gaze never faltered. "I was alluding to Major Carter."

"Really?" Jack actually managed to sound surprised. "Can't say I noticed."

"Is that so?" Teal'c's left eyebrow rose disdainfully.

Not only was the conversation disagreeable but the Jaffa's penetrating gaze was

beginning to make Jack feel uncomfortable. His hackles began to rise.

"Is this leading to a deep, meaningful conversation, Teal'c? Because if it is, I have to tell you--."

"I have always considered you a warrior, O'Neill; one I have been proud to count my brother."

Jack's eyes grew guarded.

"Buy now I must inform you - you are an ass."

And having made his unequivocal pronouncement, Teal'c stalked off, his head held high, his back conveying his damning disapproval.

_'Shit_.' Raking a hand through his short hair, Jack watched the tall member of SG-1 as he disappeared into the kitchen.

'Just what the hell am I supposed to do here?' he asked himself angrily. He hadn't been the one to throw in the cards and go to Hammond asking for a transfer.

And lifting his head his eyes latched on to the person in question who was fused with Sartes, dancing to something which allowed their bodies to look as if they were making out. Glowering, Jack shot the head of SG-5 a withering glare but just as quickly ducked his head. If Carter saw it, she'd misconstrue it. Or not.

Grabbing another beer from the bar, he wrenched off the cap and swallowed deeply. He took the seat beside Daniel and looked for all the world as if he was watching out for his friend.

And what the hell had come over Carter, for crying out loud? If they'd been off-world he'd have been having her checked out for Goa'uld infestation - she was so not herself. Her outfit, her make-up, and the dancing!

"How's our birthday boy doing?" Janet interrupted his reverie handing him another beer while relieving him of the empty one, perching on the side of the sofa next to him and watching those on the dance floor.

At least she wasn't observing him analytically, Jack thought moodily.

"The usual, though I think he's broken the record for staying awake longer."

Janet smiled affectionately. "He's really something." And receiving an affirmative nod of the head, Janet dared to continue, "...So's Sam."

The neck of the bottle had almost reached Jack's lips only to freeze and he turned an ice-cold glare on the CMO.

"Your point?"

Ignoring the internal alarm ringing loudly inside her head, Janet smiled innocently as if she wasn't being pierced by black drills.

"No point...I was just wondering when you were going to dance with Sam."

"Why?"

She was neither deceived by his drawled question nor oblivious to the way he was gripping the beer bottle, pointing it at her as if it were a weapon.

_'Breathe, Janet_,' she advised herself, _'just breathe. In. Out. In. Out._'

"It seems everyone but you has been having the pleasure..." She paused abruptly hoping the colonel hadn't taken her meaning the way it sounded. "I just thought--."

"Do yourself a favor, Doc. Don't!" He reared up out of his seat and adopting Teal'c's previous posture, exited the room, but not before he'd swiped a half-full bottle of whisky.

Heading for his roof top, he knew he could be assured of some peace while he quietly and deliberately got pissed out of his lust-filled mind.

(Chapter 8 to follow)


	8. Chapter 8

SUPPRESSION Chpt. 8

Warning: Language

**Suppression Chapter Eight**

He cursed venomously, promising a painful death to whomever the f-ck was drowning him and when his face continued to feel the water pouring over him, he lashed out with his legs and arms, hoping to impact with the perpetrator of this crime. Head thumping excruciatingly, he opened one bloodshot eye confused to find no one standing over him, and clumsily he pushed himself into a sitting position only just beginning to realize that it was pouring down. He was soaking. He was soaking and bitterly cold.

Reaching around blindly, his hand made contact with his best friend, the bottle, but when he brought it up to his face he realized miserably that it was empty.

"Crap."

For a moment he wondered why he was where he was, until a picture of Carter's sensual body in the arms of Sartes impacted his raging brain cells. Unsolicited visions of Sam naked and moving rhythmically against an equally naked head of SG-5 had Jack hurling the empty bottle across the deck.

Was that where she was right now, he tortured himself?

"F-ck!"

He needed a drink; a large one, which meant going back down.

His first attempt at getting to his feet met with abject failure as his legs refused to obey the brain's electrical impulses; the shivering didn't help much either, but on his next effort he wisely used the security rail for assistance and at last he was able to stagger to the wooden steps and make a precarious descent.

Neither the quiet of the house nor the lack of people encroached on his resolve to find liquor and having achieved his aim, he retraced his steps to the foot of the ladder and was just about to haul himself back up when a firm tug on his shirt had him reeling back, stumbling to regain his already unstable balance.

He swore vociferously.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

The pain in his head reached a shattering crescendo and he screwed up his face attempting to blot out the pounding. He really needed a drink otherwise he knew without a doubt that his brain would explode.

In no mood for any kind of discussion, Jack reacted in a way that wasn't conducive to his future health.

He growled, "Not in the mood, Doc."

The drill in his head demanded immediate anaesthesia and oblivion. Not only that, he had certain images in his head that had to be erased. Fast. There was no time for niceties; he turned his back on her.

He was to regret it.

It was 2:34 in the morning; Janet knew this precise fact because she had just wearily checked her watch after emptying the fifth load from O'Neill's dishwasher. She had, in fact, spent the last hour trawling round his home and garden clearing the detritus of a highly successful birthday party and it hadn't been pretty. Despite being tired out of her skull, it was her intense disappointment over what she considered the failure of her scheme with Sam and the Colonel which was playing heavily on her mind. She couldn't believe that he had failed to dance with her; couldn't believe he could be immune to her sensual beauty; couldn't believe that she had been utterly mistaken when she had long ago understood that there was something between the two military members of SG-1 even if it was kept under lock and key.

Shaking her head wryly at a certain colonel's obstinacy, she felt sure she hadn't been mistaken - the spark was there. She had seen the intensity of Jack's look anytime his 2IC had had a prolonged stay in the infirmary, prowling the corridors round the facility until he'd been given the necessary assurance which would allow him to return to his quarters to rest. Yet now, now when practically every male present at the party had had their tongues lolling out lustfully, the one man it had all been set up for had ignored her as if she were Hathor looking for a host. No, she corrected herself. At least with Hathor he would have taken notice!

Janet was not a happy soul and so setting eyes on the one person who was causing such disquiet was not at all fortuitous for said colonel.

Her eyes narrowed ominously as she took in the whisky bottle and soaked clothing. She had had enough.

As O'Neill's foot touched the first rung her hand shot out relieving him of the precious bottle and, ignoring his vehement objections, she grabbed his arm. She would, she admitted in exasperation, have dearly liked to have grabbed his ear and twisted it hard as she steered and tugged him through his bedroom to the bathroom, ignoring his verbal protests and the digging in of his heels, but she decided that her future in the Air Force might well be in jeopardy if she gave in to her less than friendly feelings.

"Dammit, Doc."

She turned a deaf ear to all his protests only releasing him when she was next to the shower. And now she stood, arms folded, giving him a look that reminded him of the confrontations he'd had with his mother as a teenager, when he'd stayed out too late and returned home in less than a sober state of mind. If memory served him correctly this didn't bode well for him either. He stared at her resentfully, trying hard to prevent his teeth from chattering.

"I think I'm old enough to--."

The snort of irritation had him scowling in annoyance, her scathing words more so.

"You're as old as your actions, Mister, and right now an adolescent bar crawler is looking good compared to you. I'm inclined to look on you as nothing more than a foul-tempered drunk with the cognitive skills of a two-year-old who is on the way to getting himself pneumonia. And let me tell you," and now her eyes narrowed dangerously, "I have absolutely no intention of wasting my time treating such an idiot!"

And taking no heed of his expression, Janet reached past him to turn on the shower while snapping brusquely, "Strip!" in a voice that demanded complete obedience. And uncaring of his sensibilities she reached up and began tugging the sodden shirt over his head.

Maybe it was past experience that made him recognize when it was wise to do as he was told because, although he muttered under his breath, he began to assist until the garment lay tossed at his feet. His hand moved to the zip of his sodden trousers at which he paused, head hanging dejectedly.

Taking the hint while rolling her eyes, Janet turned on her heel, snapping, "Coffee will be ready when you're finished."

---------------------------------

"Don't you like Sam?" Her voice was low but determined.

She could tell the question had completely thrown the colonel, but she was in no mood for niceties and so she watched as he was forced to make an effort to keep his mug of coffee from spilling all over the breakfast bar where he was now sitting.

He frowned half in pain, half in irritation. "Doc, have a heart, my head won't take this."

Janet's gaze never left his brown eyes that had suddenly become guarded as he ducked his head to stare into the black liquid he was consuming. He seemed to be thinking hard until eventually he whispered, "She's the best 2IC a man could ever wish for."

"You're evading the question," she snapped giving him an impatient scowl.

His head shot up in confusion but the pain reminded him that wasn't a sensible movement, and he groaned and dropped his gaze. He didn't answer so Janet decided to press on some more.

"Why are you pushing her away?"

This time the snort of incredulity was all Jack's. "C'mon, Doc. Give me a break here. Who's doing the running, for crying out loud?"

"Only because she thinks you don't want her around."

The moment seemed to freeze into a vacuum until his body jerked uncontrollably as if a violent surge of electricity had passed down his extremities.

"What did you say?"

For the first time he was totally focused on the doctor's words and it was Janet's turn to feel pinned by his stare. She squirmed on her seat and used her own mug on which to concentrate.

"Doc?" It was more a growl.

She stood, all efficiency. "I've said too much already."

"Don't do this, Doc."

Janet hesitated, hearing the appeal and misery in those words and seeing his defenses lowered she stilled, staring him straight in the eye. No, she decided, she hadn't been mistaken; the spark was still there.

"You know Colonel, we deal with a lot of crap and in our line of business we learn pretty quickly that life's too short. Maybe you just need reminding of that fact."

And seeing the confusion on his weary face, she said firmly, "Talk to Sam." And giving him a careful appraisal advised, "And get some sleep. I'm going home now, where I should have been two hours ago."

There was nothing left for him to do other than to crawl under the covers of his bed and lick his metaphorical wounds as the inside of his head conducted new flying procedures to evade enemy incomings.

-----------------------------

Though tired to the bone, Janet couldn't help smiling to herself on the drive home. Although Jack hadn't looked at all appreciative of her advice to talk to Sam, he was going to get an unexpected surprise when he woke up. Mind you, and here she grimaced - so was Sam. However, it wasn't as if she hadn't made the effort. Having made sure the colonel had made it to his bed safely, she had tiptoed to the guest room where Sam had gone to check out Daniel. She found her friend snuggled up to the 'dead-to-the-world' archaeologist whose gentle snoring even Janet found soporific.

Giving Sam a gentle shake, Janet had tried to wake her, but other than a mumbled, 'I'll take third watch, Daniel," there was no further response. And right there and then the wily CMO had decided this was a further opportunity not to be wasted.

'_If at first you don't succeed, try, try again_.'

This childhood saying returned with added meaning and a glimmer of hope lit up the doctor's tired, brown eyes.

--------------------------------

When Jack next awoke, he was so sure he was surfacing from a session of torture that before attempting to open his eyes he began to methodically flex his body to check what was broken. When it appeared only his head had been subjected to violent handling he reached up a trembling hand for a more concrete confirmation only to dully come to the realization that torturers were unlikely to have put him to bed - his own bed at that.

He sat up carefully, groaning as a wave of nausea threatened, but swallowing determinedly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and half opened protesting eyes. Another glass of water and two painkillers had been placed by his bedside and he groped for them, a drowning man reaching for straw.

Barely able to feel the tablets on his thickened tongue, he washed them down with the water then ran a hand through his dishevelled hair wondering how long the medication would take to impact on the pounding in his head.

Much as he would have preferred to lie back and spend the remainder of the day in bed, the urgent pulsing of his bladder was reminder enough that he needed to be up, with the bathroom his first port of call. And later, standing under the shower, he began to recall the brusque manner of Janet and the impromptu shower she had made him take.

He shook his head, regretting it instantly. He decided as he towelled himself dry that painkillers and black coffee were on the menu for breakfast; his stomach could take nothing else. And wrapping the towel round his waist he intended doing that immediately.

As hung over as he was, he did notice the tidiness of the place and was more amazed when he entered his kitchen to find it spic and span. He owed Janet big time. Maybe a big bunch of flowers and some Belgium chocolates might go half way to showing his gratitude but there again, he had the feeling she'd rather settle for him having a serious conversation with a particular female who wasn't going to be a member of the SGC for much longer. He frowned just managing to stop himself shaking his head again.

Crap, how had matters deteriorated to where they were now? What the hell had happened in so short a time? One minute he'd been head of the best SG unit there ever was, a cohesive unit that was not only a superb fighting unit but extraordinarily a family group, too.

Talk about a 'mother hen complex', he had to smile to himself here, each and every one looked out for the others, seeming to have a sixth sense if one was in danger. And if a member fell ill...he could still picture Teal'c hauling an indignant Daniel over his shoulder, returning the feverish archaeologist, who was complaining volubly, to his sick-bed after he'd decided to get up to do a little extra research on his computer when Janet had ordered complete bed rest. When Teal'c went into nurse mode there was no way out for the recipient of his tender care and no amount of sulking or pleading on Daniel's part could sway him from his healing path.

Then there was Carter who'd played the ministering angel a time or two.

Sitting there, head bent, lost in thought as his sightless gaze stared into the depths of his mug, something made him raise his eyes and he was startled to see said ministering angel standing hesitantly in the doorway.

_'What the hell was she doing here_?'

His brain seemed to surge upwards as he realized she wasn't with Sartes while his stomach did a painful twist.

He gulped and immediately started to cough violently as some of the liquid went down the wrong passage. From looking diffident and uncomfortable - she really hadn't meant to fall asleep in her ex-CO's home - she leapt into action when Jack's face began to turn an unpleasant shade of purple. He'd already pushed himself to his feet, half hunched over, one hand banging on his breast bone as if to relieve the paroxysms, tears coursing down his face as he fought for oxygen in his desperately empty lungs.

Yet he wasn't unaware of his state of undress and kept his other hand on the tied ends of his towel. Without hesitating Sam gave his naked back a forceful thump then grabbing both his wrists, she yanked his arms above his head unaware of the alarm he felt at his vulnerability.

"Look up, Sir! Look up!" she encouraged, her blue eyes pinned on his streaming ones. And as the fit of coughing began to subside, she smiled tentatively. "That's better."

Releasing her hold on him, his hands swiftly returned to his towel that had started to slip down his hips and he breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't bear thinking about - minus his towel and standing close up and very personal with a highly desirable woman who was showing enough bare skin to get his senses rampaging.

Sam suddenly realized his still watering eyes were fixed on her belly button ring and she colored pink feeling the need to offer an explanation. "My niece bet me," she said softly, blinking when he practically launched himself into his seat, his eyes skittering away from her as if he'd been caught doing something inappropriate, but then his eyes met hers.

"I never figured you for the betting kind, Carter."

Sam frowned, aware there was some hidden meaning, but unsure just what. She cocked her head to the side.

"Sir?"

"Just that...By the way, thanks for the back thump."

She almost smiled. "Anytime, Sir." Then realizing that actually, she was offering something that would soon be impossible, she started to stutter, "Well, er...I mean--."

"It's okay, Carter." Only it wasn't. It was now or never and the Doc's advice kept prodding him.

"By the way, if you aren't tied up with any other SG team, the day after tomorrow we're gating to PX3944 - I thought, maybe, you'd join us for one last mission, there could be some naquadria and you never know, just in case I need a back thump."

Light and easy, nothing heavy. He took to observing his coffee mug again, allowing her the opportunity to make an excuse if...

"I'm good to go, Sir. I have nothing in my schedule."

"Good. That's fine. Right. Well, I'd better..." His eyes narrowed and he stopped, faltering. "Where did you sleep last night?"

This time the color swept over her.

"I...I really didn't mean to fall asleep. I was just checking on Daniel and the next minute I..."

Just as it used to be - SG-1 looking out for one another.

Much to her relief, he nodded as if it were the most natural thing she could have done.

She frowned, continuing, "I'm surprised Janet didn't wake me."

Jack kept his head down. He wasn't.

"Coffee?"

She couldn't quite mask the surprise in her eyes before nodding and dropping into a chair. She was almost as bad as Daniel when it came to needing a morning caffeine fix and Jack just managed to stop himself grinning at the look on her face as she inhaled the aroma from the mug he passed to her.

"So how is Daniel?"

Her blue eyes crinkled warmly. "Sleeping like a baby with a nasal problem."

"That's our boy." Then as if realizing his slip, he quickly changed the subject. "Did you drive here?"

Sam shook her head. "Janet."

'Ah.' His head tipped to the side appraising her. "Need a lift?"

And not wanting her to read anything further into it, he added quickly, "I was just going to pick up some stuff from the mall. I could go to the one round the corner from you; it's about the same distance. I'll just go put some clothes on."

He could do civilized like the next guy, though the surprise in her blue eyes couldn't quite be disguised as she dropped her gaze and concentrated on her drink.

She wasn't sure whether it was her CO being nice to her or the fact that she had started to wonder what might have happened if that towel had dropped...

----------------------------------

(Chapter 9 to follow)


	9. Chapter 9

**Suppression Chapter 9**

He wasn't stupid; he knew why he'd been summoned. But that didn't mean he was ready or looking forward to the next few minutes. Breathing in deeply, he schooled his features to a blank mask and rapped once on the imposing door.

"Come."

He could tell by the look that the general was assessing him, the blue eyes taking in everything that was to see and, Jack was sure, a hell of a lot that wasn't supposed to be on show.

"Take a seat."

He would have preferred to remain standing but knew that would be seen in a particular light and anyway it wasn't an option, not from the way he was reading his CO's body language. He sat.

General Hammond had decided to take his time and now spent a few excruciating moments concentrating on the folder on his desk until, deciding the time was right, he continued softly, "Jack, I notice Major Carter is on rotation for tomorrow's off-world operation with SG-1."

Deliberately keeping his tone neutral, the younger man answered in the affirmative. The general waited for more. Jack remained silent.

Eventually, "Care to elaborate, Colonel?"

The tone may have been just as controlled as before, but the formality did not go unnoticed by the subordinate officer. Jack suppressed the desire to squirm, knowing very little got past the bald-headed man.

"Thought we'd have one last experience as a team together. Daniel has taken Carter's reassignment pretty badly - it should cheer him up - sort of an extra birthday present."

He smiled innocently, his eyes meeting the older man's, but when there was no reciprocal smile, his own faded and his gaze flickered away to somewhere just past the general's shoulder.

"I believe Teal'c is also upset."

Jack's left eyebrow quirked. Warily he said, "Ye-es, I suppose he is."

Blue eyes, chillingly icy, met his stonily. "So why aren't you?" The rapier-like question cut through his defenses and Jack stiffened.

_'Shit!_' He'd assumed all this was under the bridge when he'd informed the head of the SGC of Carter's transfer request. The general had appeared to accept Jack's rather blunt reasoning that his 2IC wanted more time in the laboratory and the colonel had believed he'd escaped the third degree he had been expecting.

He should have known better, and the prospect of a lengthy inquisition now chilled him.

"Carter's her own boss, Sir. No one can make her do what she doesn't want."

"What do you want, Colonel."

"Sir, with respect, what I want isn't the point here."

Hammond looked momentarily sceptical though he carefully reassumed an equally neutral expression on his round face. Slowly he stood and gratefully Jack followed suit. He was to wish he hadn't when the general came to stand inches from him, face to face - almost. And it didn't matter one whit that the general was a few inches shorter than the colonel. Said colonel knew exactly who the bigger man in the room was and automatically he braced himself.

"I've given you time to sort this out, Colonel, but it hasn't happened." A brittle edge to the next words ensured that Jack's throat tightened convulsively. "Now I'm going to get involved."

Jack blinked.

"You've got this off-world assignment to work it out. And if it isn't, by God I'll want to know the real reason Major Carter is leaving."

Stunned, Jack tried hard to comprehend the magnitude of the general's words. He had the sudden unwelcome realization that there was going to be some sort of resolution to this almighty mess, one way or another - it was imminent and like any professional warrior, his instinct was to seek cover under a heavy air barrage. The only trouble was the general wasn't going to allow that strategy. It was to be the 'up and at 'em' approach or...

It didn't bear thinking about.

"Dismissed, Colonel!"

The sharp order penetrated his chaotic thoughts and Jack drew himself up to his full six feet two inches staring fixedly at the gold stars on the general's collar. His expression would have done justice to a serious poker player as he executed a sharp turn and got the hell out of the lion's den.

-------------------------------

The following morning, Sam sat on a bench in the locker room, her eyes pensive as she stared ahead at nothing in particular. Beside her, Teal'c was pulling tightly on a boot strap.

"Your departure will leave an empty place, Major Carter."

Blinking in surprise - it was rare for the tall Jaffa to actually instigate conversation - she shrugged noncommittally, saying, "No one's indispensable, Teal'c, you'll soon find a replacement and then--."

Uncharacteristically, the large warrior interrupted. "You have not thought this matter through. Running away is--."

Stunned, Sam jumped to her feet. "I'm not running away!" No one had ever accused her of such action before. She was staggered.

Deliberately, Teal'c fixed his displeased gaze on her and Sam felt two uncomfortable hot spots of color rise to her cheeks.

"There is a Tauri saying, 'take the bull by the horns'."

Eyes wide with astonishment, Sam whispered, "Wha...what are you trying to say?"

The Jaffa stood towering over her, his disappointment obvious.

"I have always known you to be a fearless warrior, Major Carter."

But if she was expecting him to clarify his words, he didn't, leaving her in a state of total perplexity.

-------------------------

She raced into the gate room, eyes on the clock, aware that she had committed one of O'Neill's unpardonable sins. Just her luck, even Daniel was on time. She knew she was in deep trouble and attempted to apologize, but Jack simply waved a hand to halt her words, nodding to indicate he understood while demanding that the gate be activated.

As the four members of SG-1 made their way up the ramp to enter the whirlpool of energy, Sam couldn't help but wonder about the look she had seen the general give Colonel O'Neill.

---------------------------

Two hours after SG-1 walked through the wormhole, Lieutenant Mary Marsden rubbed her aching back, pushing back a stray lock of auburn hair that had fallen from her usually immaculate bun. She looked around the infirmary hardly able to believe that it was now a place of tranquillity after the chaos since SG-3 and SG-7 had gated back rather the worse for wear after having returned earlier than expected with a severe attack of food poisoning following a welcome ritual thrown in their honor. All eight members now were hooked to IV's and sleeping peacefully after a frenetic period of volatile vomiting and worse... It hadn't been pretty but it looked as if the most unpleasant aspects of it all were over. She smiled in relief at her colleague, Linda, who was just adding the last dot to a report that needed to be handed over to Dr. Fraiser.

Which suddenly reminded Mary that she should check-in with the CMO regarding the pre-mission check carried out on SG-1...

Offering to take the report for Linda, Mary knocked on the doctor's office door and entered. She handed over her friend's report and said, "I just wanted to check on Colonel O'Neill's results, Ma'am."

"Excuse me?" Janet had been run off her feet too with eight severely dehydrated patients and was just enjoying a hot drink, the first one in a number of hours. She frowned, not quite sure what the young nurse was alluding to.

"Colonel O'Neill." Lieutenant Marsden sounded as if Janet should really know what she was talking about. "He had a low grade fever when I did his prelim checks but he said he'd messed up and had a coffee a few minutes earlier, giving me my faulty readings. I told him I'd give him half an hour and recheck him, but when SG-3 and 7 erupted on the scene," she grimaced at the pun, "the colonel told me he'd clear it with you as I'd pretty much got my hands full." The junior officer could already see the start of a glare appearing on the older woman's face and began to worry. "He was very definite, Ma'am. He--."

"I bet he was," snapped Janet, just remembering that the lieutenant was relatively new to the SGC and hadn't been filled in on the quirks and eccentricities of various members of this command. She had yet to learn that one particular air force colonel had an aversion to anything remotely to do with the infirmary and if there was a way he could wheedle his way out of any part of the official procedures, he would do so taking full advantage of his rank and the innocence of a young nurse, putting his powers of persuasion to very good use.

Remembering the night of the party when she'd found him soaked to the skin and shivering, Janet felt a tingle of doubt as to his excuse for the raised temperature. Her eyes narrowed, causing the nurse's heart to start beating rapidly.

If he had dared to go off-world knowing he had a temperature...

"Nurse Marsden, there's something you should be made aware of concerning Colonel O'Neill..."

-----------------------------

He knew as soon as the nurse gave the ear thermometer a second look that he was in trouble. He'd woken that morning with a scratchy throat and an ache behind his eyes, but he'd shrugged it off as a remnant of his hangover. Though a nagging voice in his head had taunted that maybe it wasn't the alcohol after all, reminding him of the not so wonderful effects of sleeping on the roof in a rainstorm, he quashed that with a silent snarl. The last thing he needed was the voice of Doc Fraiser in his head! But come hell or high water there was no way he was being scrapped from today's mission.

It was make or break time and he and Carter had some serious one-on-one parleying - not at the instigation of General Hammond, though he had to admit that wasn't far from his mind - no, this was for himself. Janet had given him the nudge and far be it for him to ignore said nudge. And so with the stakes so high he did what he knew was a big no-no - he made up an excuse for his raised temperature and then made his escape.

And maybe, just maybe if the gods were smiling down on him, the nurse would have forgotten about him and not mentioned anything to Fraiser. He grimaced, knowing that was highly unlikely. The CMO was famous for running a tight ship; she had to in her line of work. Still, he could live in hope...and as he made a three sixty turn to check out the dull, wet landscape his eyes lingered just a fraction longer than necessary on his 2IC who looked equally subdued under the storm's onslaught.

-----------------------------

If she'd been hoping for an idyllic setting for her last off-world experience, Sam was to be sorely disappointed. Knowing that it was an uninhabited planet, she had been hoping that their three day mission would be, for want of a better word, a breeze; an opportunity to savour the best of all she was going to miss - and at this thought she couldn't help but cast a sideways glance at the silver-haired colonel just a little in front of her.

Granted he'd been a royal pain in the a ever since that morning when...she shook her head, she really didn't want to go over that memory anytime in the next century, but since the morning after Daniel's party he had been, she pursed her lips trying to find the right word - perfect. Perfect? She frowned. Not quite. Perfect would have meant feeling his long sensitive fingers exploring her naked body in ways her mind had indulged in on many a lonely night; perfect would be wrapping her sensual body around his and making hot, passionate--.

"How's it going?"

If it hadn't been pouring with rain, the blush, which went all the way to the roots of Sam's blonde hair, would have been plain to see by every other member of SG-1. As it was, Sam yanked her over-heated body and brain back to the present and, keeping her burning features well hidden by her hooded cape, answered Daniel, "What do you think? I'm already soaking and--."

"No - I mean your packing, closing up the house, stuff like that."

"Oh...oh that. Yeah, well it's okay. I kind of leave that sort of stuff until the last minute just in case--."

"You change your mind?" Daniel put forward enthusiastically.

Sam shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No! In case someone, some dear friend," and now she nudged him with an elbow, "offers to help."

"Oh." Daniel dropped his head to his chin, clearly disappointed, then remembering himself, he half heartedly offered, "I'll be happy to help out - well I won't be happy but... you know what I mean." He pushed his streaming glasses up his nose and tried to see through the never-ending rivulets of rain. "So will Teal'c; so will Jack."

Snorting in a most unladylike fashion, Sam cast a wary glance at her CO's back just in case he'd overheard their conversation but it seemed the colonel was oblivious to their dialogue. Unfortunately, in suppressing her undignified exhalation, she ended up swallowing air and proceeded to cough convulsively. As Daniel attempted to thump her on the back, made somewhat difficult due to her backpack, Jack turned to see what all the commotion was about.

"You okay, Carter?"

She nodded frantically though it was clear to see that this was not the case as her face became redder and her eyes bulged.

As her lungs gasped for air, Sam could see a look of what appeared to be exasperation cross her CO's features, but then he was striding towards her with purposeful steps, stopping in front of her, snapping open the two catches so that her pack dropped from her heaving shoulders, and in the same fluid motion he grabbed her two wrists and yanked them above her head.

Startled blue eyes stared up into dark brown ones, and widened further when she saw definite warmth and amusement in them.

Slowly the spasm passed and somewhat despondently Sam found her wrists released.

"See, it works," Jack exclaimed to no one in particular. "Granny O'Neill always told me to put my hands up and look for the birds when I was choking."

Ignoring Sam's astonished stare, Jack turned back, ignoring Teal'c's intrigued expression. He wasn't in the mood to get into that explanation right at this moment when it seemed as if the planet's sole intention was to drown them where they stood.

Testily, he ordered them all to pick it up and get a move on - he could already feel a cold coming on and was in no mood to have it change into flu.

"Does your Granny not have a cure for this complaint as well, O'Neill?" intoned Teal'c, his eyebrow raised as if waiting for an answer.

Muttering something unintelligible, Jack gave them all a solid commanding officer glare and again took the lead.

Shaking her head at his fickle change of mood, Sam muttered to herself, "Well, at least he doesn't want me dead."

"What do you mean, Major Carter?"

She literally jumped, not realizing that her softly spoken words had been overheard, cursing silently when she remembered that Teal'c had particularly acute hearing.

Embarrassment warmed her and she answered, "Nothing, Teal'c, I was just--."

"Colonel O'Neill holds you in the highest esteem!"

Sam jerked as if stung by an enormous hornet and cast him a jaundiced glance. She hated, really hated to burst his bubble of faith, but--.

"Carter, Teal'c if you've about finished your little tête-à-tête, maybe one of you would like to take another bearing to make sure we're going in the right direction!"

Sam knew that tone of voice very well, sarcasm at it's finest. She jumped forward, already reaching for the equipment to take another reading.

And as the pouring rain grew heavier and the ground became more of a muddy quagmire, the route they followed became more and more difficult, especially when visibility dropped alarmingly.

-------------------------------

Raising a hand that was barely discernible, Jack brought the group to a weary halt. They huddled round in a circle attempting to keep as much of the elements off them as possible.

"Carter, how long do you estimate until we reach the site?"

She scrunched up her face making a quick calculation. "Sir, at the speed we've been going it will take another two hours at least, but from what I can tell the weather is getting worse - this stuff is turning to sleet. If we get a heavy fall of snow..." She left the rest unspoken.

Jack nodded, agreeing with her estimation on the timescale as well as her evaluation of the coming weather pattern.

"Okay, we'll camp here." And seeing their surprise, he held out his arm theatrically, his challenge clear, "Unless you guys can show me a better spot."

Sam dropped her head, Daniel mumbled something under his breath to the effect he'd be glad to just sit and not move, while Teal'c nodded his acceptance.

--------------------------------

Their two tents were raised with quiet efficiency and their gear stowed inside. But as Daniel made to follow Sam inside the first tent, Jack tapped him on the shoulder.

"Change of plan." he muttered. "You go in with Teal'c."

-------------------------------

(Chapter 10 to follow)


	10. Chapter 10

**Suppression Chapter 10**

"Excuse me?"

Jack wasn't sure whether the archaeologist was being deliberately obtuse or whether it was simply his tired brain unable to assimilate this change in routine. Jack gritted his teeth. Now was not the time to lose his temper; it was taking him a certain amount of courage to do this and having Daniel put obstacles in the way of his wavering determination was not to anyone's benefit. The desire to simply push the archaeologist's nose in the glutinous mud was, however almost too tempting to deny.

Daniel must have read something dangerous in Jack's expression because he suddenly began to backtrack, allowing the older man access to the tent.

As Jack pushed through the second flap of the entrance he could see Sam had already laid out her sleeping bag leaving plenty of room for Daniel's. Her boots had been left by the entrance so as not to muddy the remainder of the interior but Jack noted that her weapon was close to hand. Ever the professional. He frowned aware that the conversation he had in mind was as far from professional as--.

"Daniel, do you think the Colonel was--."

"Er...Carter..." he watched Sam's head whip round, surprise swiftly followed by embarrassment clouding her eyes.

"Sir?" Her eyes returned to the flap expecting Daniel to follow behind.

"We switched."

"Switched?" She couldn't help the chariness in her voice. They hadn't shared a tent in a long, long time.

"Yeah." Jack proceeded to remove his cape and boots, massaging his knee once the muddied footwear had been removed. He groaned softly. "Agh, that feels better."

He could feel her eyes on him when he began to rummage through his pack to remove his sleeping bag and a towel. Unrolling his bag next to Sam's he then sat on it and began to towel dry his hair. He then took out a small notebook he kept in his upper jacket pocket and proceeded to write some notes. Feeling eyes still on him he looked up, but Sam was suddenly studiously involved in her own notes.

For a moment more than necessary his gaze remained on her; it had been longer than he cared to remember since he'd taken the time to study her, to watch the way she brushed the hair back from her face, or the way her eyebrows crinkled when she was deep in thought or the way those brilliantly blue eyes... He stilled, realizing that those eyes were now regarding him closely.

"Find anything interesting?" he demanded then his eyes automatically dropped; he didn't look up. If he had, he would have seen the amused warmth in his colleague's eyes as she stared at his hair which was sticking up in every direction possible.

"Perhaps." It was said in such a way that Jack's eyes darted up, puzzled, but again Sam had dropped her gaze to her notes.

"And?" Jack's tone was more demanding but Sam refused to be pushed.

"Too early to say yet, Colonel."

He grimaced. Not known for his patience, he wondered whether it was just him seeing more into their few words of double entendre.

Sam smiled to herself. She was actually enjoying herself and it was a revelation. She could sense her CO's disquiet but rather than bend over backwards in an attempt to alleviate this, she was gaining some quiet satisfaction from it. It was so rare to see the colonel as anything but fully in control without a single doubt on his mind, that now, in this confined space with the sound of the rain and sleet slapping rhythmically down on the tent, Sam found herself revelling in this rarely seen side of her CO's personality.

She produced an energy bar from her pocket, unwrapped it and began to lazily chew on the food, making no attempt to initiate further conversation.

"So..."

Sam raised her head which had been resting on her raised knees, waiting expectantly.

Jack looked uncertain. She continued to wait.

"So...have you been given your papers yet?" He was referring to her transfer from the SGC to Area 51.

"Papers?"

He frowned. Was she trying to be difficult as well? Her expression seemed open, but...

"Carter, have you forgotten your transfer?" His tone was exasperated.

"Oh that." She said it as if it were the last thing on her mind. She shrugged, but still kept him waiting a little longer. "Not yet, but it shouldn't be long now. General Hammond said he'd see it was given prompt processing."

"Oh." Jack had begun to play with the pencil, turning it, attempting to see if it would stand on its own, then flicking it up like a coin. "Not much of a last off-world mission, huh?" He looked up slowly, a faint, hesitant smile making Sam's breath catch in her throat.

Aware of her increased breathing, she looked down, blinking hurriedly. "Er...there's time for it to improve...Colonel."

He stared fixedly at her but she wasn't about to look up. He hesitated, his hands clenched around the pencil.

"Carter, I...I..."

She couldn't fail to hear his mumbled expletive and hid her smile.

However, his next move startled her it was so unexpected. Mind you, when going over it later in her mind, she didn't know what she was expecting. But lunging for his boots and stuffing his feet into them wasn't one of them nor were his sharply spoken words, "I'll go check around, make sure everything's in order."

"Sir, it's blowing a storm!" she protested, eyes wide in surprise.

"Get some sleep, Major. We'll need to make up time tomorrow; it'll be an early start."

"But, Colonel--."

It was as if she hadn't spoken and trying hard not to shake her head at what she considered a futile exercise, she watched him leave the tent.

Outside, he pushed the hood of his cape back and raised his hot face to allow the chilling sleet to cool the heat of his blood. There was no point looking around, visibility was, he decided, even worse than when they'd set up camp.

Carter had been right, he thought morosely, it was a complete waste of time and energy coming out here but he was wound so tight and in the confines of that small area he felt like a time-bomb about to explode. He needed more control, to bring his thoughts under some semblance of order and having Carter an arm's breadth away wasn't helping the situation one little bit. All he had to do was reach out... He screwed his eyes shut tight but a vivid picture of her doing the Latino dance looking so damned hot and...

"Ja-ack? What are you doing?"

Shit! He twisted round to find Daniel's head peeking out from behind his tent's flap, trying his best to keep dry. He had that perplexed look in his eyes that he usually wore when he was trying to decipher something particularly complex. Jack wasn't happy that the look was fixed on him.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Daniel?" he replied witheringly, hoping his own sarcasm would do the trick and put his friend on the defensive. It didn't work.

"It looks like you're just standing there." The archaeologist couldn't help himself; he had to ask the obvious. "Jack, aren't you getting wet?"

All too aware that Carter would be able to hear this conversation, Jack gritted his teeth and attempted a show of indifference.

"I'm just going to check the perimeter, make sure everything's as it should be...Is that okay with you, Daniel?" he inquired dryly.

The younger archaeologist didn't reply immediately, still giving Jack that mystified look as if he wasn't quite sure whether he should stay or go, but having made up his mind that it was too cold to keep his head out, he nodded, and withdrew back into the security of his own tent.

Jack swore under his breath well aware that Carter must by now be wondering what on earth was going on. Kicking out at a clump of mud to defuse his hot temper, he checked that his weapon was well protected by his cape and then proceeded to walk in an easterly direction away from their sodden campsite.

Rain obscured everything. Not that there was a lot to see. The planet was a virtual plain of soil that was tediously muddy, dragging at their booted feet and slowing their progress. Jack had barely walked a hundred metres when he looked back - the tents were invisible. It was as if he had appeared from nowhere and was going nowhere.

He shivered finding the planet oppressive in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on; he would be glad when this mission was over, except...

----------------------------

Sam checked her watch, the third time in as many minutes and chewed on her bottom lip. The colonel had been gone more than half an hour which wouldn't have caused her any undue alarm except that there was nothing to see out there, nothing to do. The planet was uninhabited - not even a sign of animal life. So what was keeping him?

Having heard the conversation between him and Daniel outside their tents, she had been aware of the irritation in her CO's voice. He had obviously wanted to be left alone and so if she radioed him, he might be none too pleased and let her know this fact. Relieved that they were able to even have a conversation, Sam was not thrilled at the idea of annoying her CO again. The last occasion had been exhausting, definitely not to be repeated. Time was short; she needed to make the most of what little they had together. However...her watch indicated that another minute had passed.

Damn, where the hell was he?

Putting her head out of the flap entrance, she narrowed her eyes attempting to see through the murky downpour. It was hopeless and she retreated inside, and as her worry increased so her temper grew shorter, her hands clenching at the thought of giving him a good smack. Honestly, he was like a child sometimes, a very annoying child who really did deserve--.

She heard a noise outside and hurried on her knees to the entrance just as a very wet, very muddy colonel reappeared. She scuttled backwards to keep as much distance as possible from the goblets of mud that seemed to be stuck everywhere to him, even...

Worry instantly changed, not to anger as she'd expected, but to amusement. She dropped her eyes and turned away to hide the smile that was tugging at her lips. It would simply not do to be found--.

"Something amusing you, Carter?" The question was ground out stonily.

Fighting to conceal her humor, she bit hard on the inside of her mouth, and schooled her features to parade-ground inscrutability, then taking a deep breath she turned back to face him.

He stood covered from head to foot in grey, cloying mud and from what she could see; only his weapon had escaped the sludge.

"Er...no, Sir...Um, did you have an accident?"

Clearly not appreciating her line of questioning he swore colorfully and proceeded to divest himself of his cape, cap and boots, but it wasn't enough. His pants were also covered in the muck and after a moment's hesitation he unbuckled and allowed them to drop in a heap next to the other discarded items of clothing.

"Can I do any--?"

"No!"

"Are you okay?" She had to make sure of that.

"Do I look okay?" His tone was withering in its contempt as he searched around the tent obviously looking for something.

"Where the hell is the water, for crying out loud?"

"Er...the canteens must have been taken in by Daniel and Teal'c."

He swore volubly. Everything seemed to be conspiring against him. All he'd done was take an irritable swipe at a mound of mud and the next thing, he found himself laid out flat in a pond of the stuff, and now when he wanted to dampen his towel...

Smothering a smile that was threatening to reveal itself in all its glory, she dropped her gaze, resuming her position on her sleeping bag all too physically aware when he dropped down beside her, his small towel put to good use trying to get the mud off his hands, face and neck.

From the next tent, Daniel's voice made itself heard.

"Is everything okay in there?"

Lightning quick, Jack retorted glibly, "No, Daniel. Carter has just been swamped by the monster from the mud. You'd better get in here right away before she--."

"I read you loud and clear, Jack."

"I'm glad somebody does," he grumbled under his breath, resuming his half-hearted effort to rid himself of the grey filth. But it seemed Sam had had enough and having watched him make two failed attempts to remove some of the dirt, she reached over with a smothered exclamation and wrestled the towel from his grimy hands.

"Here, let me, Sir."

And ignoring the look of bristling indignation, she knelt before him and proceeded to find a clean spot on the material then went on to remove the smears he had consistently failed to remove. Once the towel was unfit for further repair work, Sam threw it into the pile of dirty clothes by the tent's entrance. Next she reached into her own pack and produced some tissues. Taking one she opened it, hesitated for just an instant and then held it determinedly to Jack's lips.

"Spit."

She watched his eyes narrow. She knew what that meant.

"Carter, I'm not two years old."

She raised twinkling eyes to meet his, the message within hers clearly disputing his statement, but instantly dropped her gaze as giving too much of her thoughts away. It seemed, however, that he had read her correctly as he growled his reproach, but somewhat to her surprise, he did as she had requested.

Tipping up his chin with her free hand she worked diligently, amazed at the amount of grunge he still had on him.

"Sir, what did you do - take a bath in it?"

He chose to ignore her question as being beneath his dignity.

She turned his head one way and having completed that, turned it the other exclaiming at the amount that had collected in his ears.

It was when she produced wet wipes that Jack bestowed on her his most damning and outraged glare yet.

"Couldn't you have used those earlier?"

He still hadn't recovered from having his face washed with his own saliva and had visions of the other SG teams learning of his ignominy. The tough guy persona that he had assiduously worked on would be shot to hell.

"How come I had to spit when you had those, for crying out loud?"

Barely pausing in her work, Sam merely replied, "They're for emergencies - I'd say the state of your ears falls into that category, Sir." She twisted a corner into a point and wedged it into his ear cavity.

"Ouch!"

Attempting to pull away, Sam precluded the move by keeping a firm hold on his chin.

"Damn it, Carter. Are you trying to drill for oil?" he demanded in wounded ire.

"Stop being such a--."

Her words froze as she caught the look on his face and remembered just who she was dealing with.

"You might just as well have used a scrubbing brush," he accused painfully, rubbing a hand over his reddened ear.

Sam just managed to prevent herself rolling her eyes and attempted to appease him.

"At least you're looking halfway to human now, Sir."

Jack's eyes did roll dramatically. "Well thanks for the vote of confidence!"

Chuckling good humoredly, Sam replied softly, "You're welcome, Colonel."

Suddenly aware that one of her hands was still resting on his shoulder and that he was still without pants - were those Simpson boxers he had on?! - she moved back to her own sleeping bag, took out an MRE and keeping all of her attention on the food, proceeded to consume it with gusto.

Jack eyed her pensively then giving his head a slight shake he got into his sleeping bag and turning his back to Sam, settled down to sleep.

"You're not eating, Colonel?" She sounded surprised.

"Not hungry."

Sam frowned, remembering that she'd thought he'd felt a little warm to her touch when she was cleaning him up. She'd put it down to his raised temper and thought nothing of it, but now...

"Sir, are you okay?"

She couldn't fail to hear his exasperated sigh as he turned over and offered her one of his very own special O'Neill looks.

"Tell me Carter, has Daniel been giving you lessons on how to annoy the hell out of me, 'cos I've got to admit, you're in the running for first prize?"

Then seeing the surprise on her face, he answered exaggeratedly, "I will be if I'm ever allowed to get some sleep!"

This certainly ensured Sam held her tongue.

For some time it seemed to her that her CO was having difficulty falling asleep and on a couple of occasions she thought she'd heard a muted groan, but soon the deep, even breathing of her companion filled the tent's interior encouraging her to follow suit.

-----------------------------

(Chapter 11 to follow)


	11. Chapter 11

**Suppression Chapter 11**

Jack lay in his sleeping bag well aware of the all too close proximity of his 2IC. He accepted that he had made an error in judgement when getting Daniel to change tents. Big time! The opportunity to have a meaningful conversation was nonexistent what with the tent of the other two members of SG-1 being so close. If he was going to have a 'talk' with Carter, he had no intention of it being anywhere within hearing distance of anyone. And now he had the disquiet of being so close to her; all he had to do was reach out and...

Oh yeah, he reminded himself. That would go down well, him still smelling like something the dog had dragged in. How on earth Carter had been willing to help him get cleaned up when he was so gross was above and beyond the call of duty. Mind you, he wouldn't go telling her that. It wouldn't do to show too much of his appreciation. He grimaced. It just might be taken the wrong way.

He swallowed the groan that jumped to his lips burrowing deeper within his sleeping bag, still feeling the tingle in his right ear where she had attempted to remove his skin and the mud. He had to smile to himself at her dedication; it didn't matter whether it was an astrophysics quandary or a simple ear cleaning job - she always gave her all. No way was he getting away until she'd dug out every last grain of the damned stuff. He could still feel the fingers of her hand clamped to his jaw. He could feel the heat in his body and suppressed a groan of frustration.

Tomorrow! He had tomorrow. He would make sure he got the opportunity to be alone with his 2IC without an audience and face Sam with some piercing questions. After all, he decided, a little loss of dignity was nothing compared to losing the best 2IC an officer could ever hope to have. Add to that the fact that she was brilliant, beautiful, sensitive and...

This time his groan couldn't be smothered but, thankfully, Sam had fallen asleep, unaware of the struggle her CO was enduring.

-------------------------------

She lay unmoving, her senses at a heightened state of sensitivity, savoring this moment of peace when nothing impinged on her mind and she had the luxury of simply floating within herself. It was a feeling she'd come to treasure, so rare were the moments offered her in which to indulge. And right now she was indulging her all too heightened senses, aware that just a short space away lay a man who was so dear to her heart that at times she found it difficult to assimilate the two parts of her that were Sam Carter the scientist and Sam Carter the woman head-over-heels in love with ...

"Are you going to lie there all day, Carter?"

She literally jerked upright, so sure had she been that her CO had been fast asleep.

Sam cringed. Had he heard her? She was almost sure she'd gone through a range of heaving sighs as she'd thought through the assortment of emotions that were a part of life with the colonel from heaven and hell.

Feet stuffed into untied boots, Sam scrambled out of the tent giving the sky careful perusal; it still looked, she decided, as if it held something in abeyance in its low, bullet grey appearance.

"Good sleep?"

Sam nodded to Daniel as he pressed a mug of coffee into her hands keeping her head low so that she didn't have to meet anyone's gaze.

"Do much dreaming?"

Sam's eyes shot up suspiciously at her CO's question.

"Sir?"

Jack's expression remained dispassionate as he surveyed her over the rim of his own coffee mug though Sam couldn't help feeling she was being tested in some obscure manner.

"You were pretty restless through the night, I just thought maybe you..."

"I had a great sleep," she protested ducking her head and hoping her forage cap hid her from a pair of all too observant brown eyes as she concentrated on the liquid swirling in her mug, "the best I've had in a long time."

Uh oh, she realized she shouldn't have gone that far. It could be totally misconstrued. She grimaced, searching for a way out of her predicament. "I think that hike took it out of me, I slept like a log."

"A noisy log."

It was on her lips to respond with a sharp retort along the lines of 'You were doing enough groaning yourself' to accompany 'Serves you right for changing the sleeping arrangements!' but decided she preferred to transfer with her current commission as a major intact rather than as a lowly lieutenant, so she kept her snappiness to herself and merely seethed within.

-------------------------

At least it wasn't raining now, which had to be a huge bonus after what they had experienced the previous day, but Sam couldn't help shaking her head. By her estimation, they would have reached their destination long ago but for the atrocious terrain resulting from the equally atrocious weather. What made it worse was the desperately boring landscape; there was simply nothing to take one's mind off their dire situation. Craning her neck, she searched ahead to see if she could catch sight of the tall dome-like structure which had been located by the UAV. She knew with absolute certainty that it wouldn't be too long before...

"Carter, shouldn't we be 'somewhere' by now instead of nowhere?"

She had been expecting this for a while now, but she still grimaced at the depth of sarcasm emanating from her CO. She glanced at him, but instantly her gaze skittered away on seeing the look he was giving her and worked hard at hiding her own grimace.

She had no feasible explanation and was wondering what reason she could offer that would go half way to appeasing an out of sorts colonel when a shout from Teal'c had the group's attention turning to view the large Jaffa who had gone on ahead to the slight incline in front of them.

Sam breathed out silently and gratefully as Jack's irritated attention moved away from her and he increased his pace to join Teal'c.

"Wow!" Daniel had removed his brimmed hat and was looking out at the scene before him in amazement as Jack came to stand at his side.

Standing on the edge of a plateau, they found themselves looking out over the top of an enormous rainforest which covered the land for as far as the eye could see. The low clouds obscured the tallest of the trees making it seem like some setting for a magical kingdom where nymphs and fairies played their age old games. And lying smack in the middle of this was the temple, its golden dome peaking out of the clouds.

While Jack seemed to withdraw into himself, Daniel's whole body language bubbled.

"The contrast is extraordinary!" he exclaimed, eyes glowing with enthusiastic exuberance.

It was all too clear to Jack that SG-1's archaeologist had suddenly regained his fervour for this planet; however, jungles weren't all that an attractive magnet for him and his caution came to the fore particularly as he was beginning to feel distinctly unwell.

He had been working hard to conceal the ticklish cough which had grown progressively worse through the morning, particularly as he had felt Carter's speculative gaze on him a time or two and to add to his discomfort, he was also beginning to realize that his temperature had started to rise.

The thought of a traipse through humid, snake-infested jungle terrain did little to fill him with any enthusiasm. With a jaundiced eye he followed what looked to be a narrow path from the summit before it quickly disappeared and did some mental mathematics. He didn't like the result he came up with, but there was no getting round it.

'Crap. This is so going to be fun. Or NOT!'

Swiping a hand across his perspiring forehead, he turned to Teal'c, refusing to make eye contact with his 2IC, and was about to order them to move out when Sam spoke up.

"Colonel, I think it would be a good idea if you and Teal'c made camp here while Daniel and I made our way to the temple." And aware how well this was going down as his eyes narrowed, she quickly continued, "It's a routine scientific evaluation of a long disused building. This planet is no longer inhabited so there's no reason why all four of us should make the trip, Sir."

He didn't even bother to argue, simply saying curtly, "Negative. Now let's move out." He turned, walking away from her.

"Colonel?"

Jack froze mid-stride and decided that he wasn't in the mood for a two-way democratic discussion. He span on his heel and skewered her with a look that could have fried a steer.

"Last I heard, Carter, I held senior rank here." His tone dripped sarcasm heavier than burning candle wax and he was a tinge pleased to see her stiffen at the reprimand. Yes, he'd put her in her place.

"With respect, Sir, I believe it would be better if you remained here."

Or not.

"Car-ter!" The one word conveyed enough reproach to sink a battleship but it seemed his 2IC had turned a deaf ear to his words.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I believe you aren't feeling one hundred percent and I think it inadvisable for you to--."

"Your concern is touching, Major, but I believe I'm the best person to know how I feel and I'll thank you to remember that!"

There weren't too many occasions Sam had felt the need to question her CO's strategy, but this was one of them and by the way she shifted from one foot to the other it was causing her a lot of discomfort. But she wasn't going to give way.

"Colonel, you're not well."

Jack willed himself not to cough or rub his aching forehead. Any sign of weakness would be pounced on and no mercy given. He decided to change strategy.

"What makes you say that?" he demanded softly while staring her straight in the eye.

Sam knew that tone, had grown to know it was wise for anyone who was in discussion with the Colonel to be wary as hell. She straightened, preparing herself for she knew not what.

"It...it's obvious, sir. I've seen you--."

"Have you been watching me, Carter?" He purposely made it sound salacious.

"No!...I mean, yes." Her face flamed crimson, the insinuation all too apparent and even knowing he was sick, for two cents she would have enjoyed giving him a well-deserved smack.

"Make up your mind, Major. It can't be both."

Ah, yes. Sam knew this ploy all too well. Put the enemy on the defensive, in this case making her look the fool, and any planned attack from her would simply disintegrate. Well she hadn't learnt from the best for nothing.

Ignoring his arrogant leer, she marched up to him and slapped her palm none too gently to his forehead.

"You have a temperature!" she accused.

"Well, aren't you hot?"

As her eyes narrowed dangerously he smirked at her unrepentantly. He had chosen that adjective purposely and was pleased to hear a mutter being hastily swallowed by the team's archaeologist.

Ignoring the sexual implication and promising that she would remember this slight and give payback in full at an opportune time, Sam's counterattack was vicious.

"Actually Sir, I think that it would be better if you and Teal'c headed back to the gate. You need to get checked out by Janet."

Here her eyes flashed triumphantly seeing the first real sign of concern in the Colonel's dark eyes. "You appear to have come down with something on this planet and it might be--."

Jack's annoyance had returned full force. "Hell, Carter, it's nothing but a simple cold!"

"We can't be certain of that, Sir. Anything that manifests itself on another planet has to be taken--."

"I had a slight cold when I gated out," he conceded grudgingly, his eyes scanning the toes of his boots, suddenly finding something of inordinate interest down there.

Daniel exhaled softly. "You mean you came on this mission knowing you were sick?" His blue eyes were huge below raised eyebrows, his astonishment all too obvious.

Jack snapped fractiously, "I'm not sick! And it was just a minor sore throat - I thought maybe it was from my hangover, for crying out loud. Do you honestly think I'd have come on this mission if I'd been sick?"

Two pairs of eyes regarded him skeptically while Teal'c's remained as ever inscrutable. _'At least the Jaffa wasn't passing judgement_,' he thought sourly.

"O'Neill, are you not aware of Dr. Fraiser's position on the matter of personnel choosing to go off-world when unwell?"

"Position?" Daniel echoed, "More like a law carved in stone and with the proviso 'ignore at your peril'!"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Thank you, Daniel." His voice dripped acid.

"Colonel, you do know what to expect if Janet so much as suspects you hid something like this from her?"

"It can't be any worse than--." He pulled himself up, just realizing what he'd been about to say, grimacing at his clumsiness, swallowing the remainder of his words.

If he hadn't been pissed off before, he certainly was now. He glared at all three members of his team. "I'm going to say this once, so listen up. Let's go."

Clearly unhappy with the outcome, Sam realized that her hands were tied. Orders were orders. She had to admit that although she knew he was sick, he wasn't in any way incapacitated to warrant her relieving him of duty. A little insubordination she could manage quite well, but anything else? No. She turned reluctantly to take lead down the narrow path, merely giving Daniel's perplexed gaze a gentle shake of her head.

"I believe, O'Neill, Major Carter's suggestion warrants further consideration."

_'Oh crap_!'

------------------------------

(Chapter 12 to follow)


	12. Chapter 12

_Can I take this opportunity to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this story. particularly those (and you know who you are) who have faithfully given their support throughout. It is so very much appreciated; I'm totally over the moon with all the attention this story has received! _

_I just thought I'd__ also__ attempt, with the aid of my incredible beta, Nell, to clarify one of the points of contention early on in this story as it is again raised in this chapter. A number of you queried the 'order' from Jack that Sam shouldn't go off world and his subsequent 'unfair' punishment. I may not have made Jack's order a direct one, but when in chapter one he summarily dismissed her from the coming mission stating she would have downtime, that was meant at least as an indirect order. __If you're still not convinced, I'm sorry; I'll try harder next time._

**Suppression Chapter 12**

He was sulking; there was no other way to describe it. And as Sam efficiently set up camp at a safe distance from the edge of the drop, Jack prowled back and forth, every now and again toggling his radio and speaking to Daniel and Teal'c who by now were well out of sight, lost among the trees and vegetation which grew in abundance, but which, for some obscure reason did not spread to the plain they were on.

His stony features and stiff back were testimony enough to his bad temper, but when Sam held out a couple of Advil for him to take he growled angrily,

"I don't need your damned pills, Carter!"

"They aren't mine, sir. And I for one would be willing to take anything which might minimize the effects of an illness before Janet got involved."

She continued to hold out her upturned palm with the requisite medication. He continued to glare until, with a muffled curse, he snatched them from her hand and dry swallowed them.

"Satisfied?" he snapped crankily, but turned away dismissively before she could offer a reply.

In the end, tiredness won out and he'd settled himself out on the ground, using his pack as back support, his eyes constantly scanning the route the other half of SG-1 had taken even knowing it was a futile undertaking.

The gentle shaking alerted him to the fact that he'd been sleeping, and he wiped a hand over his face in an attempt to shake away his lethargy, but in reality checking that there was no drool on his chin. He found Sam crouched next to him, a cup of coffee extended. Reaching for it gratefully, he nodded his thanks, sipping on the strong brew while noting the addition of extra sugar. He raised an eyebrow.

"Extra energy, Sir."

He grunted, yet despite his lack of enthusiasm Sam was relieved to see that he continued to drink the liquid.

"Carter?"

She was still crouched down next to him, sipping on her own drink. She turned her head, the blues of her eyes sapphire-like in the afternoon sun. He was glad she wasn't wearing her headgear so that he had access to her expressions. For the same reason, he was more than happy to be wearing his own peaked cap.

At the moment she was looking at him with a quizzical expression, waiting patiently.

'Get on with it, O'Neill.' he ordered himself. He coughed hoping to ease the tension both in his chest and in the air.

"I'm not one for apologies, you know me," he mumbled, "but I...I...well I didn't want to--."

Thinking she was easing the difficulty somewhat, Sam interrupted Jack's inarticulate ramblings. "It's okay, Sir. I know you were upset when I went off world and got taken prisoner."

For a nano-second, Jack wondered what Sam was saying, but the instant his brain got round her words his whole body jerked up and his dark eyes flashed fire.

"If you think for one minute I'm apologizing for reaming you out for disobeying my order to be on downtime until our next mission, then think again, Carter," he ground out savagely. "You're damned well lucky I didn't break you down to--!"

"Jack, this is Daniel. Come in."

Closing her eyes in silent prayer, Sam breathed a sigh of relief as the Colonel toggled the radio at his collar, reminding herself never to assume she knew what he was going to say.

"Daniel! Report!"

There was an all too obvious pause on the other end of the radio, ensuring that Jack knew Daniel had picked up on his current mood.

"Er...nothing much to report actually. Um, what about you?"

"Dammit, Daniel, what's your status!"

Uh oh. This was, Daniel understood all too well, one very badly pissed-off head of SG-1 and he couldn't help but grimace in sympathy for Sam who was the only one there to bear the brunt of Jack's temper.

He decided that playing obtuse, no matter how tempting, wouldn't help Sam so he relayed the information, little that there was, about the temple and that they would be retracing their steps very shortly once he'd finished videoing the outer walls of the temple's courtyard.

"Whoever built this place is long gone, Jack. There's no sign of any form of recent habitation so it's hard to tell when this place was in fact in use. Once I get back to the SGC I may be able to decipher the markings I've found here but at the moment I'm in the dark."

"So a wasted journey."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Wouldn't you?" Jack was in no mood for playing the part of appeaser. "Very well. Maintain contact every half hour. I'll expect you back by... 15.30. Over."

"Roger that, Jack. Over and out."

Wasting no time, Sam was taking this opportunity to take samples of the soil and carry out some basic tests with the equipment at hand, but it didn't stop her from taking surreptitious looks at her CO who was all too obviously unable to relax as he lay on the ground drinking his coffee. It was the third time he'd checked his watch and she could almost hear his brain turning and just as one hand was reaching to toggle his radio, Daniel's breathless voice broke in quieter than usual.

"Sam?"

"Daniel? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine."

"Then why are you late reporting in?"

Sam could imagine Daniel's eyes rolling to the sky seeking wisdom for his reply to Jack's interruption. The intermission was certainly long enough to warrant this idea.

"Well, Jack..."

Sam cringed. It was Daniel at his most exasperated.

"...my one minute lapse in keeping to Air Force time might just possibly be due to the fact that Teal'c and I are hiking up an almost vertical face of a mountain getting back to you! It's hot, with almost one hundred percent humidity and oh, yes, did I mention it's hot?"

If it hadn't been for a coughing fit, Sam was pretty sure Daniel might very well have been on the receiving end of one of her CO's most acerbic retorts, but as it was, he waved her to end the transmission.

"Is he okay?" This time the archaeologist sounded concerned.

Aware that she was being watched, Sam simply answered. "He'll be fine. Out."

She could still feel herself under his scrutiny as she returned to her samples, aware that her mind wasn't on what she was doing anymore. And what was worse, she could feel a definite blush creeping up her neck.

'Please God, don't let him see that.'

"You okay, Carter?"

She closed her eyes and muttered a word her father wouldn't have approved of, then plastering a fake smile on her features, she stood up and faced the reclining figure.

"Fine, Sir."

"It's just that you were looking kind of..." he paused, realizing the word he was about to use was again inappropriate.

"I'm good...And you?" If anything were to take his mind off her blush it would be asking him about his own health. He hated mothering of any kind.

Yes. There was the frown. Mission accomplished. She gave herself a figurative pat on the back turning away, knowing he had no intention of answering her.

"I never meant to push you away."

She froze. Had she heard correctly?

As if in slow motion she turned back, her eyes wide.

He was sitting up now, toying with the tin mug in his hands, every so often throwing her a look which was almost impossible to decipher, except he seemed to be...No. No way. Sam's eyes had grown even larger as she observed her CO.

Jack O'Neill, Colonel, United States Air Force, accomplished black ops agent, master tactician and notable evader of anything to do with paperwork as well as equally impressive pain-in-the-ass to his superior officers and here he was, looking like he was facing - for want of a better analogy - a Goa'uld snake for blending. She gave herself a mental shake and adopting her most amenable expression of candidness, she drew nearer to him.

"Sir?"

Dark eyes flickered to meet hers and then just as quickly skittered away. A withdrawn smile touched his lips and just as quickly disappeared.

He raised his free hand as if to wave her away, returning to lie back against his pack, closing his eyes to back up his dismissal of her, but for once Sam decided her intuition deserved attention.

"I think maybe we both did a little pushing."

It was Jack's turn to feel the uncomfortable flush color his face and right now he would have done a lot to not be in this position, but at the same time he knew it was now or never for dealing with this issue. Hammond was expecting something from him.

Wiping a hand over his tired face, he grimaced in discomfort. "If I ...er...in anyway indicated any kind of ...well...inappropriate conduct..." It was too much and he fell silent.

Unable to comprehend just what he was attempting to articulate yet desperate to hear what he had to say, Sam pushed even knowing it wouldn't be well received.

"Colonel, what sort of inappropriate conduct are we talking about here?"

The look he gave her would have singed the hide off a bull elephant; she blinked, feeling the heat.

"Well, you tell me, Carter," he demanded testily, "because you sure as hell made a strong case against me."

Hackles raised, he was no longer capable of offering an explanation for something he hadn't done. He was smarting from the injustice and was not pleased to be facing this unpleasant situation and no doubt his fever ensured his patience was at zero tolerance level.

Confused before, Sam was now utterly perplexed. "Me?" she repeated indignantly.

The show of innocence was too much for Jack to take.

"Heard with my own two ears, Major. You know what; I never took you for a liar, Carter?"

"What? What?" Now Sam was beginning to get annoyed.

"You heard me with your own two ears? Sir, I think maybe your fever is having more of an effect on your faculties than you--."

Eyes flashing volcanic anger, Jack pushed himself up as he parroted,

"Quote... I know he has these strong feelings for me but it's no good, I just don't feel the same...unquote. Does memory serve you well now, Carter? 'Cos I sure as hell heard you saying those very words about me in your office."

It was like a switch had been turned and the thick fog that had been occupying a large part of her brain disappeared in a meteoric explosion to be replaced by a flash of memory and with it came cold comprehension.

All the jigsaw pieces which had been swirling around for so long were, with the waving of a colonel's magic wand, instantly in place - the puzzle solved.

"You overheard me saying that to Janet?" she demanded quietly, ominously so.

Jack didn't respond, but that answered one of his own questions.

By now Sam had adopted her own annoyed persona and the fact that she was facing down her own CO didn't even enter into the equation.

Coldly, she stated baldly, "If you must know, Sir, you overheard me talking to Janet about Major Wilkinson."

"Wilkinson?"

Jack's stone-faced demeanour began to waver.

"Wilkinson? Steve Wilkinson?"

The mug's contents in his hands suddenly took on some interesting delineations in his mind and he gave a lot of attention to them.

"So...you were discussing Wilkinson. Major Wilkinson." It wasn't a question.

Sam remained icily silent; her hands fisting open and closed as she felt the build-up of an anger that threatened to explode with spectacular results.

Closing her eyes against the spiking headache that lanced through her temples, she tried to work through the tide of events which had followed that moment when she had opened up to her friend and explained that attempting any sort of relationship with another man was absolutely hopeless when she had feelings for...

Her eyes shot open. She'd always thought that the Colonel had overheard her saying she had feelings for him but now it seemed he had misinterpreted what she'd said about Steve, putting himself in the other officer's place. Of all the stupid, senseless, idiotic...

Brushing a hand through her hair, she glared at her CO with unmitigated irritation.

"Carter?" All his bluster had evaporated into thin air and he was left, feeling about as sure of himself as a fox facing a pack of snarling bloodhounds.

She had endured the ignominy of being reprimanded not only by her CO, but by her father to boot; she had suffered doing work which was both mind-boringly numb but which also prevented her from doing any work which she loved; and to add insult to injury she had put in for a transfer that would take her away from everything she loved in life. And why was this?

Her nostrils flared as she tried to prevent herself from hyperventilating as she faced down the man at her feet who was struggling to keep his dignity when it had all but smashed into smithereens.

"Permission to speak freely, Sir!" she rasped, ice-blue eyes boring into him.

"Hi guys, we're back...Phew, never thought we'd make it. Did you Teal'c?"

Blissfully unaware for the moment of the violent atmosphere he had invaded, Daniel hauled himself over the last step of the incline bending over to take in some well-needed gulps of oxygen. Swiping off his cap, he continued to breathe in while Teal'c stood next to him, watching the scene before him. No one spoke.

Aware now that something wasn't quite right, Daniel raised his head and squinted through his glasses.

"I repeat, hi guys, we're back if you haven't noticed."

No one moved. It was as if time was standing still.

"Er...Jack, Sam. Hello, anyone at home? We are back, having been force marched all the way through steaming, snake-infested jungle just knowing that we would receive a hero's welcome. Isn't that right, Teal'c?"

A distinct frown now marred the archaeologist's forehead as his eyes moved round the frozen scene.

"I for one enjoyed the walk, Daniel Jackson."

"Are we interrupting anything here?"

It was Sam who broke eye contact first. Spinning on her heel, she marched back to her equipment, stooped down and instantly got caught up in her work. Daniel followed her, his frown growing larger.

"You get what you wanted, Daniel?"

The young linguist swung back to the head of SG-1.

"Er, yes. Yes, we did...Um...is everything alright here?" he asked innocently, aware that the opposite was in fact the case.

"Couldn't be better."

----------------------------------

(Chapter 13 to follow)


	13. Chapter 13

_I couldn't resist including this comment from Nell, my beta, made at one point when she was checking this chapter -_ 'Janet gets to say those precious words that each of us Jack fans wish to say!!!' - _It made me LOL and_ _I wonder if you can guess which word(s) she is referring to?_

**Suppression Chapter 13**

"Welcome back SG-1."

The familiar figure of the SGC commander waited at the foot of the ramp watching as his premier team strode towards him. He watched them hand over their weapons to the armory officer before he again spoke.

"How did the mission go, Colonel?"

Giving him the full O'Neill charm routine, Jack smiled brilliantly and replied, "A piece of cake, Sir. Never better."

General Hammond's alarm antennae began to vibrate.

"Glad to hear it. I'll look forward to the debrief in an hour, people."

"Can't wait, General!"

"A moment, Colonel?"

Jack paused, hoping against hope, watching the backs of the rest of SG-1 file past.

"I believe you may be required to miss the debriefing, but as you've made it clear the mission was 'a piece of cake' I'm sure the remainder of your team will be able to deal with the matter at hand in your absence."

"Absence, Sir?"

If the general wasn't mistaken, he thought there was just the faintest hint of anxiety in the question; he hid his smile behind a dispassionate mask.

"Yes, Colonel. I understand Dr. Fraiser has a number of issues she wishes to raise with you. She indicated they may take some time and that if I had no objections--."

"Sir, I may have said the mission was 'a piece of cake', but in fact there are some points which do require urgent attention. I'd be failing in my duty if I didn't--."

Clapping a hand on Jack's arm, George beamed benevolently.

"Now we wouldn't want that, Colonel, but I did promise the doctor that I would ensure she had priority and if you're worried about anything, I'm sure your team will ensure I'm fully apprised of everything."

Jack grimaced. There were times when having an efficient team was definitely detrimental to one's health.

"I don't suppose you could..." Jack was willing to try wheedling.

It didn't work.

"I don't suppose I could, son."

Shuddering as he tried hiding how pathetic he was feeling, Jack left the gate room, feet dragging.

--------------------------------

The hospital gown dropped onto his lap jerking him out of his little reverie. He needed to get to Sam pretty urgently but as circumstances were ganging up on him, it didn't look like he'd have an opportunity in the near future.

Damn, but he had to sort this mess out and fast.

But then the gown fell onto his lap and such thoughts flew out the window of his mind.

"What's this?" he asked distastefully as if viewing some long dead carcass.

"You know the drill, Colonel."

Janet's perfunctory explanation did little to appease Jack's questioning mind. He tried again, but Janet simply chose not to answer as she pushed through the curtains surrounding the bed he was perched on.

Hearing the comings and goings in the rest of the infirmary he was aware that Teal'c and Daniel had just completed their post mission exams and were about to be released. He moved towards the split in the curtain to catch their attention, only to find his way blocked by a solid-looking male nurse.

"Lieutenant."

Jack frowned. Just spitting out their rank usually had said officer jumping out of his way, performing cartwheels at the same time. Not this time.

"Colonel."

Jack glared at the name tag.

"Lt. Brown, I'd be obliged if you'd get out of my way. NOW!"

"Apologies Sir, but I can't do that."

Hardly believing what his ears were hearing, Jack snapped "Excuse me, Lieutenant, but if you don't want to be emptying bed pans for the rest of your Air Force career, you will--."

"Thank you, Lieutenant, I'll take care of this. You can go take a break."

Brown didn't even blink as he turned and left Jack alone with the CMO.

Jack schooled his features. "So what's going on here, Doc?"

Turning on her full dictatorial, power-mongering glare, Janet skewered the Colonel into silence.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Colonel, but I believe you are the one who needs to do the explaining!"

'_Crap_!'

The old Air Force adage 'admit nothing' rang loudly in his ears and he held his tongue.

Janet's eyes narrowed menacingly.

"Your choice, Colonel. Strip!"

--------------------------------

"When can I go?"

Willing herself not to sigh out loud, the night duty nurse plastered a none too patient smile on her face and for the umpteenth time answered,

"That's Dr. Fraiser's call, Sir. You'll have to ask her, but I believe she's waiting for the results of some of your tests to come through."

"Go get her."

Having filled out the notes on her latest routine check, the nurse raised her head, explaining, "I can't do that, Sir."

Jack's patience was past wearing thin.

"Why not, for crying out loud?"

"She's in a meeting and asked not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency."

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Jack drawled exaggeratedly, "This. Is. An. Emergency."

"Sorry, Colonel."

Trying another tack, Jack asked, "Who's the meeting with?"

"I think it's Major Carter, Colonel"

"Carter?" Jack exploded. "Where are they? Doc's office?"

Leaping from his bed oblivious for once to his flapping smock, he threw aside the curtains and marched barefoot across the infirmary floor.

"Sir, Sir, you've got to return to your bed. Dr. Fraiser made it quite clear that you were not to--."

The squeaking of the duty nurse didn't even register as Jack threw open the door to Janet's office, his dark eyes narrowing grimly as he spied the CMO and his own 2IC deep in conversation.

"Have you had your pint of blood - or should I say pound of flesh - yet, Doctor?" he demanded witheringly.

He didn't even acknowledge Sam's presence.

Not missing a beat, Janet stared from his bare feet all the way to the top of his silver grey head and casually answered,

"You're free to go to your own quarters, Colonel, just as soon as Nurse Bowden administers your final shot."

He couldn't hide his dismay. "Another? I've had three already; what the hell's this one for?"

Smiling sweetly, Janet replied smugly, "I could say it's for a pain in the ass, Sir."

Jack's eyes flashed fire even though somewhere deep down he actually felt a glimmer of admiration. There were few people who dared take on Jack O'Neill.

"But you won't," he spat back, knowing he'd been well and truly stitched up.

"No, Sir, I won't."

--------------------------------

To say that Jack was pissed off would be putting it mildly. Every door he passed through was given the same resounding treatment - a full and worthy assessment of the capability of the door's hinges. None, so far, had failed, but there was still a number of doors he hadn't given the O'Neill test. He'd get round to them.

-------------------------------

"Serves you right."

Too late, the grimace of pain which had flitted fleetingly across Jack's face as he gingerly settled into his desk chair had been spotted.

"It's late, Daniel."

"So?"

Closing his eyes, Jack tried to draw on any meagre hint of patience that might still remain somewhere deep within him.

"You can't expect to play with fire and not get burnt, you know."

Jack's black eyes bored into the archaeologist dangerously.

"You'd do well to follow your own advice, Dr. Jackson!"

Daniel obviously chose to ignore his own counsel and came to perch on the edge of Jack's desk.

Pushing up his glasses, he adopted a serious expression as he asked, "So what happened?"

It was the shutters coming down that had Daniel uncharacteristically slamming his open palm down hard on the desk, making papers jump in the air before settling again.

"I hope that hurt," Jack muttered sullenly.

"Not as much as your backside, I'm betting," came the glib reply. "So what the hell happened back there? When Teal'c and I set off for the temple everything seemed to be hunky-dory."

"Nice linguistic skills you've got there, Doctor."

It was Daniel's turn to flash Jack a warning scowl.

"What happened, Jack? How did you screw up? And so help me, if you comment on my choice of language one more time, I will set Teal'c on you."

"Teal'c?"

"Answer the damned question!"

Throwing his hands in the air, Jack spluttered, "So why does it have to be me that's screwed up, for crying out loud?...Don't answer that!"

Groaning, and not just from the pain of his shots, Jack rested his elbows on the desk and dropped his face into his open palms. He was the picture of dejection.

Talking through his hands he mumbled, "I misread a situation."

Daniel was trying hard to retain his equilibrium which was always difficult when dealing with Jack.

"Misread?..Elaborate."

"I can't."

That did it.

Leaning low, Daniel poked a sharp finger into Jack's shoulder.

"Listen to me, you son of a bitch! You have almost got SG-1 non-operational, so don't you dare try and use some military hogwash of a reason to get out of this."

Lowering his hands, Jack realized that Daniel was brimming with fury, but that was just a veneer covering the deep sadness that was overwhelming him. Daniel could see before his eyes his very own family dropping to pieces and it was too painful to allow without putting up a fight.

Jack mumbled, "Go talk to Carter."

"I did. She told me the same thing."

He waited a little longer then jumping off the table, Daniel kicked the trash can and called out, "Okay, Teal'c. I guess it's going to be your way."

With a slightly self-satisfied expression on his face, Teal'c stepped into Jack's office.

"What's going on here?" For some reason Jack was beginning to feel his anxiety levels start to rise, though he wasn't sure why.

"I tried to get you to talk to me; I tried to get Sam to talk to me..."

"Now," continued Teal'c slowly, hovering over Jack's shoulder, "we will ensure you and Major Carter communicate with each other. And, rest assured O'Neill, you will not be permitted to leave the room until you have sorted out your differences."

---------------------------------

If he had been going to his own firing squad, Jack could not have been more reluctant as he trudged the SGC corridors. And in the end Teal'c had voiced his threat.

"Procrastinate further O'Neill, and I will not hesitate to convey you myself to Major Carter's quarters."

Teal'c never threatened then failed to carry it out; the pace increased.

But once outside Sam's door, Jack continued his delaying tactics. Moving from one foot to the other, he was the very picture of indecision as he glanced at his watch.

"It's kind of late guys."

"It is not," replied Teal'c.

"Don't you think it would be better for Carter if I were to wait until the morning? That way she'll--."

Teal'c's large fist banged twice on the door.

_'Shit!_' This couldn't be happening. If he moved now, he might just...

The firm hand on his shoulder ensured any thought of escape was redundant.

He waited. And waited some more and eventually the frantic beating of Jack's heart began to slow as he came to the realization that Sam wasn't in her room.

Smiling widely, Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like she's left the base. No sweat, I'll see her tomorrow."

"Tonight, Jack."

Putting on his most apologetic front, Jack explained, "No can do, guys. Janet's confined me to base."

"And since when has a simple order stopped you from doing what you want?" demanded Daniel dryly.

"You know what she'll do if she finds out I've--?"

"Did you not tell me, O'Neill that you are the master of the unorthodox interpretation of orders?"

--------------------------------

(Chapter 14 to follow)


	14. Chapter 14

_**To all those who have taken the trouble to read this, I thank you and to those who have gone that step further and made time to review, my thanks isn't enough, but it is all I can give. Know it is from the heart. And to Nell my gratitude is unending. You're brilliant beyond words.**_

_**(I know I had mentioned to some of you that there were 15 chapters - well now you know I am hopeless at maths!) I so enjoyed taking this ride with you all.**_

**Suppression Chapter 14**

Behind the drawn curtains, a light could be seen indicating that Sam was still up and had not retired to bed.

Having attempted every known strategy to evade this duty and having failed to persuade the two male members of his team, once again Jack found himself facing the closed door to one of Sam's sanctuaries. This, more than her quarters on base, was her territory and Jack more than ever had qualms about being there.

"Sir?"

Face scrunched into uncertainty, Jack continued to move from one foot to the other.

"Carter."

Looking past him and to either side, Sam could see no one else. She was surprised. She hadn't expected him to appear here at her door.

_'What now_?' she thought unkindly looking at her watch pointedly.

"It's kind of late, Sir."

"Funny you should say that, Carter. This won't take a moment...Er...can I come in?"

She actually looked as if she might say no, but in the end her manners, if not her training, got the better of her, and she stepped back, though if Jack wasn't mistaken there was definitely a sigh of resignation.

Moving straight to the mantelpiece, Jack reached for one of the framed photographs adorning the shelf; it was one of Sam and the rest of SG-1 at a much happier time when undercurrents of emotion were well hidden and open smiles were the order of the day.

Jack found himself sighing at the simplicity of the scene. If only...

He turned, finding Sam standing arms folded, definitely on her guard. No way was she going to help him out. Where, he wondered, was the sweet, amenable officer who always aimed to please?

Taking a deep breath, he stated softly, "I screwed up, screwed up big time, Carter."

It was as if he were facing a stone wall.

_'You're not going to help me out here, are you_?'

Pacing seemed to help him form the words he had such difficulty forming and now he moved from fireplace to window and back, up and down, down and up, picture frame still twisting and turning in his hands as he attempted to explain his actions of the past.

"When I overheard you talking in your lab I overreacted - I thought you were referring to me. I...I didn't know about...well, anyway--."

"Why?"

Jack frowned. "I told you, I thought you were talking about me."

Sam shook her head, "No, why did you overreact?"

Swallowing nervously, Jack was aghast that Sam had got to the crux of his problem so quickly. As his eyes widened in obvious distress, Sam decided to be civilized and offered him a seat.

"I'll stand, thanks."

But seeing her exasperated expression - he could see she thought he was being difficult - he moved to one of the cream cord sofas and lowered himself as carefully as he could.

"You were saying, Colonel."

"You wouldn't happen to have a beer would you, Carter?"

She stared at him fixedly. Yes, it was a delaying tactic, but she could afford to be magnanimous under the circumstances. And anyway, it meant he'd put down the silver frame he'd been playing with ever since he'd arrived; she'd almost been tempted to snatch it out of his hands a time or two in the past few minutes so distracting did she find it in his hands.

He noticed she drank nothing herself. The social niceties went only so far. So the hope that she'd get blindingly drunk and be incapable of comprehending his explanation flew out of the window along with any other hope he'd had that he could avoid this onerous duty.

Bracing himself, he considered how best to begin his explanation, aware that the logical option would be to start at the point he'd been standing outside her laboratory, however the clamminess of his skin and the intense roiling in his stomach made him wish he'd not slugged back the beer so quickly. And he might possibly have made his excuses and left if it hadn't been for Daniel and Teal'c waiting outside, so there was nothing for it but to persevere.

But perseverance only went so far and when he felt his stomach recoil painfully, at first he thought it was just the whole feeling of discomfort and wishing he were anywhere but in Sam's house. But as said discomfort turned to something much stronger, he knew that he had either to make it to Sam's bathroom at a run or disgrace himself by puking all over her favorite handmade Turkish carpet.

-----------------------------------

She could hear the sound of violent retching from outside the closed bathroom door and called out.

"'S'okay, just give...me...a minute,"

Jack gasped before proceeding to expel more of the contents of his stomach.

Ignoring the unspoken order to stay away, Sam pushed open the door to find Jack down on his knees, with his silver head leaning over the bowl of the toilet. Quickly taking a small towel, she ran it under the tap and placed it against the back of his neck.

"Leave...me..."

Further spasms of retching interrupted his order, but it didn't matter, Sam had no intention of leaving him in the state he was other than to fetch her cell phone.

"I'm going to phone Janet."

His protest was brief but vehement.

"NO!"

And then realizing Sam would need a reason, he turned his head, his grey paleness evident as he explained sheepishly,

"She'll be pissed."

"From what I know, she's pissed with you already, Sir."

Attempting to roll his eyes, he realized that would be a huge mistake the way he was feeling and stilled the movement.

"Don't remind me...She kind of...confined me to base."

This time it was Sam who did the eye rolling.

"And that would be because..." She waited expectantly.

"How should I know?"

He swallowed convulsively feeling another rising in his gut, wishing he were anywhere but with Sam.

"Maybe she wanted to stick it to me for gating out when I was a little sick."

"Or maybe it had something to do with you actually being sick - strange as it may sound - ever think of that one, Sir?"

Her sarcasm was damning and Jack groaned softly, allowing himself to settle with his back against the side of the bath, yet still close enough to lunge for the toilet if necessary.

Seeing the thin film of sweat on his pale features, Sam lost no time in making the call, ignoring the look of betrayal her CO threw her.

Having given a brief rundown of Jack's symptoms, Sam proceeded to listen intently to what Janet had to say.

"Okay, yes...yes I understand. Mmmm, yes I have...No problem, will do."

She snickered softly giving Jack an appraising look then continued,

"Oh, I'll be sure to pass that on," before snapping shut her cell.

Not wasting time, she leant down saying,

"Come on, Sir. Let's get you up. Think you can stand?"

"Not going to the infirmary,"

He muttered thickly while allowing Sam to take his arm over her shoulder.

As he gained his feet he swayed dizzily, but Sam maintained her tight hold and coaxed him to the spare room.

"No infirmary just yet. It's a bed here for you."

Lowering him gently, he ended up perched precariously on the edge of the bed as she stooped to remove his shoes while wondering at how fickle fate was at playing its hand. How many times had she considered the prospect of Jack O'Neill and her being in the same bedroom? How many times had she fantasized about having him in her bed? Too many to count if she were totally honest, but she hadn't considered the possibility of the man being as sick as a dog at the time. She decided the gods must truly be laughing their asses off!

--------------------------------

He awoke to a blissfully darkened room, a damp cloth across his clammy forehead and for a second he wondered where he was until a vague memory of being brought to this room returned and with it the unsettling remembrance of protesting when Sam had tried to remove his clothes.

He recalled she had mentioned having a brother and being au fait with the whole undressing thing. Jack couldn't remember what his reply to that could possibly have been. It didn't bear thinking about.

But it had obviously been a wasted effort because he realized he was now down to his boxers and nothing else under the comforter. Sighing at the humiliation of it all, he at least remembered in time not to shake his head in case it resulted in further protests by his body. Staying perfectly still was his best option and he obeyed his instincts, closing his eyes and falling back to sleep again.

---------------------------------

"Janet said it was an adverse reaction to one of the shots you'd had and apparently she'd been aware of the possibility, hence her 'request' for you to stay on base."

Sitting up in bed, Jack was beginning to look a little more human, though he still appeared pale and gaunt. He was attempting to swallow some re-hydration liquid which was the pits. He couldn't help but note that Sam wasn't being in the least bit sympathetic.

"Why the hell didn't she tell me that in the first place?" he grumbled testily.

"Oh, I expect Janet will have lots to tell you when she next sees you, Sir," Sam replied smugly, receiving a scowl for her nerve.

"Thank you for that, Carter; it's just what I wanted to hear... Be sure to remind me about this when your next evaluation comes up, won't you?"

Sam grinned, pleased to see Jack looking more alert and venting his own dry humor.

"Think you could manage some toast?"

"No, but I bet that's not the right answer."

Her grin grew wider still.

"...So, er...where are my clothes?"

Indicating a small pile of fresh clothing at the foot of the bed, she said, "I'll leave you to get dressed and go prepare some breakfast."

It must have been the little devil inside him, because before he could prevent it, he'd asked,

"So, no offer of help getting them back on, eh?"

Turning her head to look back as she exited the bedroom, she answered snippily,

"It's much more fun taking them off!"

She disappeared leaving him stunned.

Swallowing her giggle of amusement she increased her pace, pondering the look she'd seen on his face. It wasn't often a riposte of hers against the Colonel's wit was so effective. Her smile was almost ear to ear.

--------------------------------

As he made his way down the stairs and through her hallway he was still trying to come to terms with having a cheeky 2IC when his eyes alighted on the official-looking envelope on the side table. His frown returned. Pausing, he took a hard look at it as if he were able to read the contents through the cover.

'Crap.' He knew it was now or never. There was no going back and this time no one was forcing his hand.

With renewed resolve he strode into the kitchen. With her back to him, waiting for the toaster to spout its contents, she didn't see his face with its mix of disquiet and determination.

"Carter, I was freaked out when I heard you saying you didn't feel the same and I thought you meant me. I thought...hell, I thought you'd realized how I felt and I...I..."

Scrubbing a hand though his dishevelled hair, he continued,

"I...I didn't want to compromise your career or--."

"--make a fool of yourself because it seemed I'd rejected you," Sam offered dryly.

Jack's eyes shot to hers in surprise then skittered away, a scowl marring his features.

"No!...Yes...Well kind of...I was pretty--."

"-- pissed?"

Sam considered she was being most helpful finishing his sentences off for him.

Again he frowned, unused to these interruptions.

"No! Yes, but that's because I was confused and I didn't..."

His voice trailed off finding this whole experience more difficult than facing General Hammond when he'd screwed up royally.

"Look Sam."

It was her turn to be surprised and her eyes widened attractively.

Jack continued, watching her carefully,

"I'm an adult."

His expression turned wry at the dubious look she threw his way.

"You know what I mean. We can work through this thing, Carter."

She didn't mind that he'd reverted to his normal address for her.

"What I'm trying to say is you don't need to leave! And just because I find you...ah, crap... I'm not going to be a problem, okay?" he stated tightly.

"Really?"

She sounded just a tad too smug and suddenly Jack stilled.

"Are you messing with me, Carter?"

"What makes you think that, Colonel?"

Her eyes were dancing like fireflies in the night air.

He groaned softly, hands clenched firmly at his sides. He thrust them into his pockets aiming for the impossibly casual.

"I'm trying to make things right here, Sam."

Twice! He'd called her Sam twice. She almost did a jig. Almost, then taking pity on his dejection, she uttered gently, "There's nothing to put right."

"There isn't?"

His vulnerability made her want to take him in her arms and haul him back to her bed. Instead she smiled warmly.

"You're. Not. Leaving."

He'd received her silent message loud and clear.

She nodded.

"But the envelope."

It was her turn to look confused until she realized what he was referring to.

"Oh that. It's just confirmation of the revoking of my original orders to be posted elsewhere."

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

It was also her turn to look slightly contrite.

"I was getting round to it."

"Really?"

He looked less than certain.

"So I didn't have to come here."

Sam smiled, showing her perfect teeth, her left eyebrow raised.

"And I didn't have to get into trouble with Doc...even more than I am...And I didn't have to have you--."

He dropped his head into his hands and swallowed painfully.

Taking pity on him, Sam advised,

"Er, you should eat some toast, Sir."

"Can I ask you one thing?"

He raised plaintive eyes to hers, milking it for everything he could.

"Doesn't it bother you that I...well, that I..." He took a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is--."

"Look, Sir, you should know there's only one man I'm interested in and when the time and the regulations permit, I'll be there for him. Until then..."

------------------------------------

"Doesn't it strike you as strange that Jack went into the infirmary whistling?"

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson."

"Do you think...?"

"Indeed I do."

THE END

_I know you shippers may have wanted something a little more tangible, but I've gone with the subtle this time round. Next time..._


End file.
